


Two Faced

by Lord Commander (Kosho)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Dark, Dark Agenda, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, Hostage Situations, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rescue, Rescue Missions, prisoner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-16 11:18:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8100433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kosho/pseuds/Lord%20Commander
Summary: She wanted a life of love with Jumin Han, and she thought she got it, until she tried to leave. Zen was right, men are absolutely dangerous, and now, she's pinning her hopes on him for freedom.





	1. Help Me, Please...

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god, everyone who read this? Seriously you've made me feel amazing. When I started this, I had doubts anyone would want to read it, but the response has been phenomenal! Thank you, sincerely! Your comments especially have meant a lot to me, and for you, I will continue to do my very best!

This...this began with a simple desire. To be loved. Jumin had seemed so perfect when they were talking. It felt like this was absolutely meant to have happened, and Jaehee had been the one to insist she go to him, help him feel better and try to get him back to work. How could those things end up this wrong? She had no idea how long it had been, and it was a guarantee that she had missed the party, but he certainly didn’t. He probably offered some vague excuse about her absence, and he had taken her phone and put it out of her reach, no way to get ahold of anyone to say what was going on. Who knew Zen was right? He was a man, and men were absolutely dangerous, though she supposed that was no longer something for her to worry about. He still seemed set on the relationship experience, so once a day, he let her out, handcuffed to the table so she couldn’t leave. He was at least kind enough to feed her, and when they finished? He brought her to the bed, somewhere between loving and kind and uncaring, intense. That part hadn’t taken more than a few days of living together, he had decided she was his, and in this case? That meant she belonged to him, for him to decide what best to do with her. 

 

The last time someone had tried to come check on her had been a long time, maybe weeks, who could say? The guards at the door had turned Jaehee away again, insisting she was fine, but she had shouted for her help. That was a mistake, when Jumin returned from work that night, the guards had reported her distress, and he...he was furious. Now, when he left, he did so only after stuffing her mouth with one of those oh so expensive ties he had, her hands bound so she couldn’t try and remove it herself. 

 

“I’ve tried to make you happy, I’ve given you everything, why don’t you love me?” he questioned angrily as he locked the cage. 

 

She wanted to tell him this wasn’t love, that this wasn’t right to do, and most of all that the problem was that she  _ did _ love him. Aside from the fact that there was no hope of escape, she had long held out hope that he would one day let her go and go back to the loving man he was at first. 

 

And then, one day, he made a mistake. He saw her off lovingly, that familiar Jekyll/Hyde routine, he decided she could go without the gag for one day, to test her obedience. Her eyes fell to the dresser nearby, close enough to reach, but just barely. He had left her phone there, by accident, she was sure. There was no way she could talk in the messenger or even call without him knowing, but if she could at least send a text, she was sure he didn’t know her password enough to check that much. Crawling awkwardly to the edge of the cage, she slipped her bound hands through the narrow space between the bars, barely fitting through, despite certainty that she had lost a fair bit of weight. Her fingers fumbled to pull at the phone, drawing it closer. It teetered dangerously on the edge, and her heart raced at the thought that it might fall, the sound surely loud enough to draw the attention of the guards who would report to Jumin if it did. She clumsily caught it, pulling it through, quickly unlocking the phone, her movements slow after. 

 

Her heart throbbed uncontrollably, concerned that he might be watching her from his office. Who was she supposed to tell? Jaehee had already tried to check on her a few times, and had always been turned away, Judo or not, there was no way she was willing to risk her safety against the security to get her out. Yoosung was sweet, but he was small too, he wouldn’t be able to face them. Seven might be able to help, to hack in to the feed and at least maybe get the word out that she wasn’t okay. Zen seemed the most promising, but even so, she didn’t want to prove he was right from the start, that she was a fool not to listen to him and leave when she had even a small chance to do so. Frowning, she navigated to her texts, pressing it anyway, keeping the message short when she noticed her battery was dangerously low. 

 

‘Zen...you were right. I’m not safe, I’m locked away...help me, please…’ she sent. 

 

She had ignored his warnings, and there was a limit to human kindness, he might even refuse outright to help her. Even if he somehow did manage to get in and help her, where was she supposed to go that Jumin Han could not reach? There was one place, she supposed, but that depended heavily on whether Seven or V were willing to help there too. She had no choice but to go back to the apartment, it was the one place Jumin didn’t know the location of, unless someone told him, she could stay there safely without problems. 

 

“That bastard! Has he hurt you? If...if he has, I swear, I’ll kill him!” the first reply. 

 

“You’re still at his penthouse, right? I’ll talk to Jaehee and Seven and see if I can find away, there has to be away to get you out...Wait for me, I’ll save you…” 

 

“I have to go. Jumin can’t know I did this...please hurry…” she sent, quickly turning her phone off, struggling once more to replace it as exactly as she could on the dresser. 

 

There was nothing to do but to wait. If they somehow came up with a way to get past the guards, she might still have to wait. The only thing she could do was try to soothe Jumin’s furor enough to convince him that she had changed, would absolutely obey him, and hope for the best. There was no waiting, she had to begin that process now, she had no patience to wait several hours for him to return home. 

 

“Excuse me, guard?” she called out hesitantly. 

 

The head of security wasn’t on the shift right now, so this was someone she had no inkling what his name was. The door opened slowly, and he peeked in curiously. 

 

“What is it?” he asked. 

 

“C...can you call Jumin? I...I know he’s really busy, but I’m so lonely, I want to see him…” she begged softly. 

 

“Well...he did say not to bother him, but for this, maybe...Yes, it will be taken care of.” he finally agreed.

 

“ _ Thank you!” _ she said, forcing cheerfulness. 

 

He closed the door, but she could still hear his voice, quietly muffled through the thick door. “Mr. Han, I’m sorry to bother you, I know you said not to, but the lady...what? Oh, yes, she’s still fine. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The lady wanted me to call you, she says she’s lonely and wants to see you. Shall I? Yes, alright. I’ll tell her.” 

 

The door opened once more, and for a moment, her heart sank, realizing he might actually not have bought it. 

 

“Mr. Han is on his way. He says he’ll take the day off.” he informed her, closing the door once more. 

 

He had been very thorough in his instruction as to how he expected things. They had never even discussed marriage, and honestly, she just wanted to leave, if she had a choice, she no longer fantasized about a life with Jumin Han, had no desire to be his wife. He had insisted that when he arrives home, she was meant to greet him lovingly, as if they were. Even bound and trapped as she was, she could manage that. Arranging for the party long past, she had learned how to be charming, even when she was less than excited to do so, perhaps watching Zen’s performances had also helped, his words on the phone calls they shared more than motivating. This was just back stage, the curtains were indeed about to open for her, ready to put on her most convincing performance. Zen had once said he planned to use Jumin as inspiration for his role, and now, now it was her turn to use Zen for her inspiration. 

 

The door again swung opened not long after, Jumin adjusting his cufflinks as he let it close behind him, his eyes, still lovely, though she knew what lied behind them now, expectantly falling to her. 

 

“Welcome home, my love!” she called to him affectionately. 

 

His eyes widened in surprise, that quickly melted to mild pleasure. It seemed as if he were truly relieved to hear it from her. Granted, he had given her no reason to be so sweet, if it helped her cause, she was willing to do whatever it took. He approached slowly, every step graceful and proud, kneeling in front of the cage, his hand reaching through the bars, tenderly stroking her hair. 

 

“I heard you missed me, my princess...I’m sorry, if I had known you felt that way, I would have stayed home from the start.” he assured her. 

 

It was all an act. He would actually have stayed home had she asked, but there was no way he understood her feelings on the matter, being locked away, being hurt and treated so poorly? Who would want that, who could be happy about such a thing? 

 

“I did, I missed you terribly. More than anything, I desperately want to spend the night in your arms, can’t you grant my one desire?” she pleaded. 

 

It tasted like ash in her mouth, saying such things. Lying was something that didn’t come easily to her, but at least it appeared to be convincing. She had no idea how long it would take for those three to come up with a way to save her, but the best plan, in her mind, was to stay on his good side as long as possible. They wouldn’t have a long window to get in and get her out, so it was far better if she wasn’t in the cage when they did. Jumin stood up, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a gold key, unlocking the door and helping her to stand. 

 

“If that’s what you want, then you’ll have it. I’m so glad you seem to be in a better mood today, I hate having to lock you up, but what else can I do, if you keep trying to escape and disobey me?” he asked. 

 

He picked at the binds on her wrists, thoughtfully rubbing the reddened tracks on her skin, as if he might actually regret inflicting them on her, but she knew better. He didn’t regret it, because he felt it necessary to ensure she wouldn’t try to get away from him. She cringed inwardly at the thought of what needed to happen now, she had to reinforce the idea that she really did miss him. Ignoring her own pain, she flung herself towards him, her arms desperately grasping his sides, embracing him tightly with a pleased sigh. He hesitated, but reciprocated, squeezing her gently before drawing her by the chin to look up at him, kissing her hungrily, nipping and sucking at her lower lip, almost crushing as he stole away her breath, letting up after a few moments. 

 

“I...want you, but that can wait. You appear to have lost weight, and since you were so bad, you had to be gagged, I’m sorry for that, but tonight, you will be rewarded, anything you want from the chef, you’ll need your strength. First, I think, we’ll wash together, and then we’ll eat, and...as you so lovingly requested, we’ll spend the night together, safely in my arms.” he explained, listing his itinerary. “Perhaps not entirely safe, I’m of course going to have my way with you until you can’t keep your eyes open a moment longer. How does that sound, my love?” 

 

She wanted to frown, disgusted that he could still think to call her such sweet things after what he had done to her, but she held back. One lapse in her act would simply see her back in the cage, at square one once more, so she forced a smile, nuzzling into his chest softly. 

 

“That sounds wonderful, a night with my Jumin, I can’t ask for more.” she purred softly. 

 

At the very least, this was the first time in days she’d get a proper bath. When she was ‘misbehaving’, he simply opened the cage long enough to lead her to the bathroom to wash her hair and sponge her down, as if he didn’t quite trust her to be in there long enough for a proper bath, and of course, he was right not to. If he gave her even a slight opening, she would naturally have tried to run away. He didn’t wait, his fingers searching for the zipper at her back, tugging it down easily, pulling at her sleeves slightly, just a light pull enough to make it fall away, appraising her with a satisfied hum. At first, it had been whatever she wanted, whatever would make her happy, as long as she stayed at his side, now, it was whatever he wanted, and she had no choice. She felt his eyes boring into her, and as much as she wanted to cover her bared body to his gaze, she refrained, uncomfortable. He had made sure she wore nothing underneath, said it only complicated matters for him, kept them apart unnecessarily. He circled a gloved finger around her nipple, pleased when it stiffened at his gentle touch, exhaling slowly in sick appreciation. 

 

“Come now, princess. Let’s get to the bath before I can’t hold back from you anymore.” he instructed. 


	2. Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin always gets what he wants, there's no choice but to do what he asks now. That doesn't stop her from realizing her personal feelings.

The night had gone about as she’d expected. Jumin had picked everything out, although he did keep his word about letting her choose what to order. It wasn’t what she wanted, what she most wanted were things he would never let her eat, and instead of risking his ire once more, she ordered only what she thought he might want her to have instead. It had gone surprisingly well, he hadn’t once looked even a little upset or suspicious of her, but it didn’t give her any hope. She knew that he would just as soon lock her away again if he thought she was anything short of obedient to his wishes. Tonight had to end as well as it could, she had to stay out of the cage, that was the one thing that would make any sort of attempt to rescue her impossible, since he always carried the key, and to her knowledge, there was no spare. His hand rested on her lower back as he led her to his room, gently pushing her back on the bed, staring down at her in a way that made her feel more like an object he was examining for flaws, anything that might upset his desire for perfection. 

 

His fingers curled under his tie, pulling it off, tossing it to the side. He said nothing at first, unbuttoning his shirt slowly and carefully. This might not have been so bad if he had taken as much care with her as he did with his attire, and her attempts to be kind and understanding had been the thing that put her at his mercy, little more than a toy he might eventually tire of, if she was lucky. He didn’t break his eye contact, even as he started on his belt, cocking his head to the side curiously. 

 

“Why don’t you get comfortable. This is what you asked for, I thought you’d be happier.” he observed quietly. 

 

It occurred to her that she must have accidentally matched her expression to the way she felt, hastily forcing a smile. She expected him to be upset by that lapse, but instead, he almost looked relieved, like he was genuinely concerned, but again, she knew better. He was used to getting what he wanted, regardless of what others wanted, and now, what he wanted was her, and he wouldn’t be satisfied if she didn’t at least appear to want that as well. He stretched out next to her expectantly, one brow lofted as though he were waiting for something. Fighting back the urge to sigh in complaint, she turned to face him, his lips immediately on hers, a hand resting on the back of her neck to keep her from pulling away. She hated this, it no longer felt right, there was no feeling to it, and yet, she couldn’t fight that it was enjoyable, the part she hated more than his unfeeling touch. Even without actual relationship experience, he knew exactly what he was doing, and how best to achieve the results he desired. He broke the kiss, but didn’t pull away from her, speaking against her lips. 

 

“Aren’t you sad? You could have had this all along, but you wanted to run away from me. Haven’t I proven myself yet? I’ve told you, I love you, we’re in love, nothing you can do will change my mind, I’ll always be here for you…” he told her. 

 

Jumin expected her gratitude, to be thankful that he cared enough to stay at her side, to devote himself entirely to her, but she couldn’t be happy about this, it didn’t feel like love.  _ Just a little longer. Hold on a little while longer. He said he’ll come for you… _ Those thoughts kept repeating in her mind, giving her the strength to keep up the act. 

 

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been treating you very kindly lately…” she sighed. 

 

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” he began. His fingers danced along her thigh before he pulled her leg around his waist, seeking out her ear. “Remember...you must be quiet, the guards are still outside, and your voice is only mine, I don’t want them to hear you…” 

 

She didn’t mind the jealousy initially. It felt good to know she was wanted enough for someone to want to be with her in such a strong way. It felt like forever was a real possibility, but now, hearing that made her stomach twist into tight knots. She gasped, his mouth hot against her neck, called away from her bitter thoughts, momentarily enjoying it, until he bit, hard enough to draw blood by the warmth pooling on her shoulder. She bit her lip hard, fighting the need to express the pain, knowing he would only become rougher with her if she disobeyed. He let go, seemingly confused as to why she looked like she was in pain, as if he honestly couldn’t tell how much it hurt. 

 

“Oh… was I too rough? I’ll try to be gentler, you’re being so good tonight…” he praised. 

 

Gentle? Was that even a word he should be allowed to use? It was a lie, but one she had to swallow. When she was sure her voice was stable enough to reply without whimpering, she chanced it. 

 

“I’m fine, I only want to make you happy.” she lied. 

 

He kissed her again, muffling the sounds she would inevitably make when he entered, his thumb brushing the crest of her hip, back up over her side, keeping her to him like even then, he was concerned she’d somehow slip away from him if he was careless. She tasted blood in his mouth, his tongue tracing hers, soft, and warm, but that hint of her blood reminding her that it was anything but loving. Distracted, her eyes scanned the room, for any hint of cameras in here, he had them all over his house, but at the very least, she found herself desperately hoping there weren’t any in this room. If there was even a chance she could be seen doing something this shameful, she felt like she would die of embarrassment right there, but then, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. If nothing else, it was still a way to get away from him. There weren’t any that she could see, but it had crossed his mind that with as obsessive as he was over her, maybe he had one hidden somewhere anyway. 

 

He pinned her back, hovering over her now, her hands locked in his above her head abruptly, his eyes once more locked on hers, very aware only of the sound of his heavy breathing, the sound of his body meeting hers, a sound that now made her cringe, but she couldn’t show it, he expected her to be pleased with this, and knew he never deviated from his plans. There hadn’t been a choice but to ask for this, and now, he meant to stay with her like this until morning, as he said he would. Her only hope was that sleep would claim her long before then. She must not have been reacting the way he hoped, his movements harder, faster, like he was upset about the lack of appropriate response. Lying wasn’t something she liked to do, but if it kept her safe, she had no choice, right? She wanted to keep an eye on him, to be aware if he meant to try anything dangerous, but she closed them anyway. 

 

“Tell me you belong to me, you’re all mine…” he growled. 

 

She held her breath for a few seconds, in an effort to make her words sound breathier, knowing that was what he wanted to hear. The words sounded almost programmed in her mind, something she was supposed to say, and where she might normally have been too shy to say such things, she didn’t hesitate now, didn’t hold back, anything to keep him happy, though the reasons had become less sincere. 

 

“I’m all yours, I belong to only you…” she panted quietly. 

 

“Good girl, you’re all mine. Your body, your words, these are only mine…” he reminded her. 

 

It certainly seemed that way, and even if she did escape, that didn’t guarantee he would never find her again. Part of her figured it might even be better to resign herself to this being her life, just in case it was impossible. She lost track of how long had gone by, before he finally let up, forcing another smile when all she wanted was to express how upset she was, the warmth she felt telling her everything he neglected to say. He was marking her, trying to show her that he meant to do anything to keep her with him. Normally, he rested for a bit before he would start again, but tonight, he sat back up, searching in his coat for something. He gripped her ankle, drawing it over his lap, cold metal closing around it after a bit. Glancing down at it, her mind too full to process anything. She didn’t need his explanation, she knew exactly what it was and what the intent for it was. 

 

“I think you can stay out of the cage, but I’m not sure that you won’t try again. I don’t know what it will take to keep you happy…” he said, his fingers following the curve of the device. “Are you disappointed because it’s been this long and I haven’t given you a ring yet? Maybe I should…” he paused again, returning back to her side, running his fingers through her hair. “This will make sure you don’t get too far from my sight again. It has a tracking chip in it, so if you do get away, I’ll be able to find you. Although...you might not want to. Not just because you love me, but because…” 

 

He stole a quick kiss, nibbling her lip gently. “If you get more than twenty feet from the penthouse...it will shock you. It will be incredibly painful, and I don’t want that. Oh...but twenty feet is quite far, you can still wander the building, and even go outside a little bit, I care about your feelings…” 

 

That was a lie, if he actually cared about how she felt, he would never have thought to put such a thing on her, would never have had a problem with her going back to the apartment for just a day, and wouldn’t feel the need to treat her like this. Jumin thought this was being  _ generous? _ His sense of generosity was as twisted as he was. Kissing her again, he smiled.

 

“You’ve had a bit to rest, are you ready?” he asked. 

 

Swallowing slightly, she nodded, unsure if she could answer properly without wanting to scream in frustration. “Yes, my love…” 

 

“That’s my girl…” he purred. 

 

She smiled genuinely this time, not because of him, but because it suddenly crossed her mind how badly she wished he had actually gone through with marrying Sarah. Then it would be her struggling like this instead of her, she could have come to her senses and tried to…

 

Huh...It never actually occurred to her, but now that she thought of it, it felt like an epiphany. She loved Zen, the care she showed for him wasn’t merely friendly interaction, she had hoped he might feel the same. When she was sure he didn’t, that was what drove her to Jumin. He  _ had _ been changing, and it seemed like it was for her, and the idea that Zen perhaps only cared out of concern for a friend...well, maybe she should have tried to ask. Even if it wouldn’t go anywhere, she had no choice but to be honest, if he did manage to save her from this, she swore she would tell him the truth. 

 

“Just focus on me, I’ll take care of you.” he told her. 


	3. His Agenda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin is working from home, and only when he is satisfied does she learn what he intends for her.

Jumin decided to work from home for some reason. She was itching to check her phone, but knew he had it in the drawer, too much of a temptation, he said. He didn’t want anyone else to get her attention, but it was more like he was probably concerned she’d tell someone that she wasn’t allowed to leave, not that she would dare say something like that on the phone or through chat, where he could either overhear or see it for himself. He sat at his desk with his back to her, reading through a stack of papers thicker than some of the books he had in the shelves. Occasionally, he would sign his name and flip it over, never glancing back at her. She sat quietly on the couch, her eyes fixed on the back of his head, her hands twitching uncomfortably in her lap. Her gaze drifted to his neck, her thoughts drifting, wondering just how many guards obscured the path out of the building. Looking down at her hands, she frowned, what if, while he was distracted, she took these hands and cut away his breath, could she safely get away then? 

 

Her fingers curled slightly, rising to her feet, slowly approaching him from behind. She had no idea how he would react, so she tried to prepare for any kind of response. Licking her lips, she intended to get as strong a grip as she could, hesitating at the last moment, far too gentle in her touch. He paused, looking up from his work for just a moment, raising a brow curiously. 

 

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly. 

 

Her heart jumped to her throat, losing her courage that easily, her soft hold quickly becoming gentle kneading. Her hands shifted between his neck and shoulders, cursing herself for being so weak. 

 

“I...you looked really tense, I thought you might like this.” she told him. 

 

Jumin stopped to consider it briefly, nodding once. “This is fine. I’ll take a break soon and pay attention to you, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m neglecting you.” 

 

She didn’t want his attention, she wanted to leave. It was unbearable to think that even with as badly as she desired that, she didn’t have the kind of nerve it took to accomplish that however she had to. He let out a pleased groan as she worked to ease the tension between his shoulders, glad he had stopped looking so he wouldn’t say anything about the unpleasant face she took. There was no reason for him to be here except for suspicion, in her mind. He could just as easily went to the office, and if he was nervous, he could have tracked her with his phone, or had someone check to make sure she hadn’t left. Even so, she had nowhere to go currently, and the device on her ankle held her in fear of the pain it would cause if she tried to go too far. His hand crossed his shoulder, grasping her wrist loosely, signalling her to stop. He pushed his chair back just a bit, guiding her in front of him, gesturing for her to sit. 

 

“I might work more efficiently with you here instead.” he explained quietly. 

 

She didn’t like the idea, but ruining his almost kind mood wasn’t something she was prepared to do, gingerly coming to rest between his thighs. He circled her waist loosely, idly nibbling the side of her neck, his hand resuming it’s almost mechanical way of signing documents. This, if things had stayed like this, she might have actually enjoyed it, the idea that she was just as meaningful as his work, and that he relied on her to be able to focus on it more. Jumin had the potential to be kind and loving, but he often changed so quickly at the slightest reasons, that it hardly seemed to matter anymore. He shifted slightly, a visible frown on his face now, reasserting his efforts to concentrate, nudging her to turn the pages so he could keep her close to him. 

 

“Perhaps this wasn’t a great idea after all.” he said. “It’s harder to focus, knowing my perfect love is so close.” 

 

Taking a deep breath, she felt a massive headache creeping into her skull, though she wouldn’t say anything about it. It would be less frustrating if he simply would stick with one attitude and be consistent about it. The constant back and forth was so hard to deal with, far too confusing for her. He moved his touch enough to raise the edge of her dress a little higher, dipping under the hem, drawing circles on her thighs before daring to go higher still, relaxing just a bit at the slight way she squirmed in response. She turned his page again, flushing bright red, his teeth grazing her earlobe, semi-interested breaths gusting over it. Admittedly, he had made more progress in just a few minutes than he seemed to the whole morning, but she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the methods he settled on. His fingers twisted in just a bit, and she shuddered at the inability to hide her response from him, she didn’t want him to feel it like this, to know that he could still provoke such physical feelings from her. That might only confuse him more down the road when she did get out, how could she not love him if he could do this to her? He was more than a little unable to figure things out, and she didn’t quite feel like helping him understand that her body and her heart weren’t always on the same wavelength. 

 

Jumin pushed her to stand, rising with her, giving no further thought in that moment, sweeping the papers from his desk, scattering slowly like leaves dancing in the wind, conjuring images of fall for just a moment. He freed his hand from her, easing her down over the desk, drawing her skirt up her hips, as if he wasn’t content to wait any longer than necessary. He still considered himself on the clock, so there was no way he intended to take the time to follow the appropriate steps. He lingered for a few seconds on himself, possibly reconsidering until she heard the sound of his zipper, felt him pressing against her. The desk kept her tightly to him in the small space, his hands free to wander her back, her hips, anywhere he chose, though he seemed unhappy with the garments still in his way. The way he pounded against her slid her against the surface of the desk, friction building heat across her chest, though she refused to say anything about it. Knowing how he felt about her being too loud, she gently bit down on her wrist, using it to keep herself quiet. 

 

She might not like the situation, but even so, she had trouble denying that it wasn’t quite as bad as she wanted it to be, the desire to hate everything about this was strong, but her will was not. Her thighs trembled mildly, whimpering softly into her hand, shifting side to side to avoid overstimulating her poor nerves. His touch found the curves of her hips, pulling her back to oppose him, his heart beating faster, or was that hers? She couldn’t really tell, save for the quiet sounds he made, growing louder in time with his increasing speed and force. It wasn’t hard to read, he wanted her for himself, so she was meant to be quiet, only for him to enjoy, him on the other hand, he felt no shame in being a bit loud, felt almost  _ proud _ that others might hear him, though she couldn’t understand why. It was an embarrassing thing to overhear, and her own shame in the matter was rivaled only by how those poor guards must feel too. There was no great mystery in what was going on, Jumin was nearly silent much of the day, unless this was on the agenda… 

 

A hand came up her body, tugging at the zipper. He leaned over her, replacing his hold on her, nipping firmly at the back of her neck, his heavy breaths raising goosebumps all along her body, annoying how that happened without her wanting it to. It was a helpless feeling to know that your body never quite respected your heart. He must have been close, there was a certain desperation in his movements that graceful and proud Jumin never displayed, the constant thud of the desk colliding with the wall painting a picture that no one needed to see. Her nails scraped at the polished wooden surface, harmlessly dragging along, the satisfied groan telling her exactly what his expression must have been, and damned if he wasn’t  _ always _ good looking, but that too didn’t change how she felt about the entire situation. Waiting a little longer, he pulled away, fixing her clothes, before drawing her into his arms. She hated that smirk. 

 

“Look at that. You’ve made a mess of my clothes, I’ll have to change. You, on the other hand, don’t do anything but sit for a little bit, please?” he asked. 

 

She blinked once, confused as to the reason, unless he meant for her to stay still until he could return to keep an eye on her. “Alright...but, may I ask why?” 

 

He helped her stretch out on the couch, a hand pressed to her forehead for a second or two. He didn’t immediately answer the question. “There is a book I’ve gotten for you. If you find yourself bored, please take the time to read it and make a list of the names you like.” 

 

She repeated the question, unsatisfied with his vague responses. “Jumin, why?” 

 

“Oh...well, I’ve been keeping a close eye on your body, of course. If it hasn’t already happened, it should very soon. I’ve thought about it a great deal, and don’t worry. We will be married before we know for sure if it’s happened.” 

 

She felt her eye twitch slightly, biting her tongue to remind herself to smile when she felt the need to look unhappy. She didn’t want to marry him, not anymore, that feeling had fled a long time ago. “Married? That’s wonderful, but what are you intending to happen?” 

 

He bent long enough to kiss her brow, walking back towards his room, though he paused. “Isn’t it obvious, my love? We’ve been together for some time, it’s time for us to consider a family. I told you, I’ve kept track of your body, it’s the perfect time.” 

 

When he was out of view, she covered her mouth, holding back a frustrated screech at the sudden news. No wonder he was being so lenient about her condition, he only let her go for this, she imagined. Needing to keep her strength up was less about him desiring her to be able to stay conscious for a very long time and more that he wanted her to be healthy for this. If God was listening? She would fervently beg to be free of him soon, and that her body was more stubborn than she was. 

 

_ How much longer do I have to wait?  _


	4. A Solid Plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to wayfareangel for the good motivation :D!

It was a warm afternoon, bright and sunny, but in her mind, it was raining, chaotic, flashes of white hot lightning clashing in the sky. Jumin said it had been a while since she had proper sunlight, and he needed her to be healthy. 

 

“There’s someone coming for us tomorrow. I’ll pick out a dress for you and see that you look appropriate for this.” he sighed thoughtfully. 

 

She barely heard him, lost in the haze of her thoughts, absentmindedly fidgeting with her sleeve. “Ah? Who…” 

 

“Oh, nothing to worry about. A painter, I thought it would be fitting to have a nice painting to commemorate our love.” he told her. “What do you-- oh, excuse me.” 

 

His phone rang, and he took a few steps away to answer it privately. She could only pick up part of what he said, guessing it must have been Jaehee on the other end. 

 

“Hm? No. I won’t be in today or tomorrow. Take as long as you feel like, right now I can’t handle distractions, so as long as your work is done well, I don’t care.” he said. 

 

That was all she managed to pick up on, watching him walk further away, as if purposely trying not to let her hear any of it. So he wasn’t planning on leaving for a few days...That wasn’t a very comfortable thought. Jaehee was probably incredibly busy without him at the office, and it wasn’t fair to her. Her presence was supposed to comfort him, encourage his return to work, but it seemed her arrival had only contributed to worsening the problem. Jumin returned after a bit, pocketing his phone, nodding his head towards the door. 

 

“It’s been long enough, right? Ready to go back inside? Lunch should arrive soon enough, I’ve selected something that should be sufficient to your current dietary requirements.” he explained, offering his arm. 

 

She held back a sigh, slipping her arm in his, following his lead back inside. Her picky taste in food made no difference when he was in control, he picked based on what was best at the moment, regardless of whether or not she personally liked it, and she knew he wouldn’t stop watching her until she finished, in case she was tempted to do something else with it. Even her parents weren’t quite so stern, when she was younger, they tried to cajole her into eating properly, but never went to such lengths to disrespect her in such a way. Her health mattered too, but they had been the type to let her become her own woman, with personal likes and dislikes, though she was now fairly sure they had no idea what had happened to her, since it had been months since they spoke. Maybe they even thought her dead. 

 

“You look tense. Perhaps I should arrange for some relaxing activities for you. Or if you prefer, I could take care of you myself? I’m not properly trained for such things, but that’s what couples do, isn’t it?” he wondered. 

 

If she had to pick between the two, a day of relaxation sounded better, but she couldn’t just tell him that. “Whatever you think is best, I trust your judgment.” 

 

His hand came up, twisting a loose lock of her hair between his fingers, sighing. “You’re so perfect for me. I’m quite happy you belong to me.” 

 

He said something that struck her as odd, but unusual enough to store it away for later, in case it might somehow prove useful. “If anyone else had...well, it doesn’t matter, you’re mine. Just realize I wouldn’t have pursued you if you were someone else’s. I’ll never have to worry about that. You’ll be at my side and tied to me soon enough. We’ll be happy together, I’ll make sure of it.” 

 

That was all it would have taken? Her being involved with someone else? For a moment, she again thought of Zen, if she had only expressed her feelings for him sooner, this could have been avoided entirely. If that was no longer an option, perhaps somehow she could convince Seven to, and the idea disgusted her more than being involved in a marriage she didn’t want, but he knew people, maybe he could find a way to see her quickly married before Jumin had a chance to find her. Ugh. At the same time, better the demon you know than the one you don’t, after all. At least with him, she knew the kind of trouble he was. 

 

“I’m already so happy.” she lied. 

 

“I’m pleased to hear you say that. Although...I’m still not sure my efforts have taken. After lunch, I feel like we should try again.” he told her distractedly. 

 

He appeared to be looking over some manner of paper chart as he spoke to her, something that was probably important, though she didn’t feel comfortable asking what it was. Part of her worried it was about her. Her life on paper, that seemed depressing. 

 

* * *

 

Jaehee exited the car, sending the driver away, sitting across from two strangely dressed figures, shrouded in the shade. 

 

“What’s the word?” the first asked. 

 

“He won’t be coming to work until the day after tomorrow.” she replied. 

 

“Hm… That’s a little more time than I expected. At least it will give me a chance to review the details and make sure it’s still a sound plan.” he said. 

 

“I have to be honest. I don’t like waiting so long, who knows what he could do to her in that time… Jaehee isn’t there any other way?” the second man asked. 

 

“I wish there was, I don’t like it either, but he won’t change his mind once he’s made plans. I feel like he’s up to something suspicious…” she admitted. 

 

“It will be more suspicious if anything were to happen to that jerk. Hey, your plan, no one’s going to get hurt, will they?” he asked the other man. 

 

“No one, just my poor baby…” he lamented. 

 

“You’re that worried about her?” the second man asked curiously.

 

“Well, her too, but I wasn’t calling her my baby. The problem is where to take her. Jumin doesn’t know where the apartment is, but the two of you can’t know either. It’s risky, I won’t be able to respond quickly if something happens, and if he does find her, it’s all over.” he explained. 

 

“And the office is no good either, he would find her in a matter of minutes.” Jaehee added. 

 

“There’s no choice then. I’ll bring her to my place. I won’t let him in even if he does show up, and I can hide her. If he tries anything, I can just call the police. Even with work, I can still take care of her.” the second man sighed. 

“I understand how you feel about her, but please think clearly. Not only could that be catastrophic for your career, but there’s so much potential for her and you to get hurt if she stays with you, Zen.” Jaehee said. 

 

He shook his head negatively. “I’m not sure you  _ do _ understand how I feel about her. I failed to protect her once, and I  _ refuse _ to make that mistake this time. Look, my career is important, but if I have to put it off to keep her safe, she’s worth more to me. I’ll always get another role, but there’s only one of her.” 

 

“You’ve never even seen her, I don’t understand how you feel anything for someone you don’t know…” she protested. 

 

Zen gestured to the man beside him. “He’s the only one aside from Jumin that has actually seen her. You’re worried for her too, isn’t that strange too, worrying for someone you don’t know? If you think about it, if it weren’t for you, she would never have gone, we’d have met her at the party, and I could have talked her out of seeing him then…” 

 

“I need to go, I’m in the middle of important work, but I need to do a little more research. I’ll be ready in time, count on me. Don’t fight, we have a common goal. Either way, it’ll look suspicious if we’re seen together like this, so we need to split up for now.” Seven said. 

 

* * *

 

_ Please...don’t forget about me, even though I don’t deserve to be saved from this, please...just don’t forget me… _

 

Glancing across the table, her eyes fixed on the ring he slid on her finger. It was lovely, normally anyone would be ecstatic, but to her, it was just another cage, except there was still a chance to be free of this one, this was more of a leash, with a promise to be caged soon. Her eyes wandered up to meet his, forcing a smile to mirror his own. 

 

“I picked it to complement your beauty. It suits you. I hope you like it.” he said gently. 

 

“I do, you have such a wonderful eye for details, my love.” she said. 

 

It was so hard to say that without her voice shaking. If she got free of him, perhaps she could become an actress, she was certainly developing a talent for it. She didn’t have Zen’s passion for it, but it was something to think about, anyway...


	5. Hopeless

Jumin had meticulously ensured that every preparation was seen to early in the morning, rousing her from her slumber to change into the clothes he had obtained for her, a dress he said accentuated her beauty. He shifted her hair over her shoulder, draping a far too expensive looking necklace around her neck, fixing it quickly. There was supposed to be a painter arriving soon, and she assumed that meant sitting still with him for several hours, but he had different ideas, ushering her out to a different room. A man with a camera stood there, lost in the elegance of the penthouse, it seemed. 

 

“I thought you said there was a painter?” she whispered quietly to him. 

 

“I’m a very busy man, I’ve planned a lot for us for today, so I simply mean to give the painter a picture of what he should do.” he whispered back, his words warm against her ear. 

 

She glanced to the man with the camera, noticing his eyes lingering on her far longer than she felt comfortable with, unsure if she was meant to say anything about it. Jumin’s hand met her waist, drawing her back to him, draping her across his lap, forcing a smile. This was the pose he wanted to settle on? She couldn’t attest to ever seeing a portrait of any couple like this, he must have been very convinced that she was quite special. If that was really how he felt, she wished he would simply show it, he didn’t even have to say anything about it. Really though, she kept telling herself it was far too late for that. 

 

“Come now, my love. Smile, you wouldn’t want people to think you’re unhappy with me, right?” he asked gently. 

 

God, he really believed he had given her no reason to be like that? She put on her best smile, ready to move when the picture was taken, but he reached for her hand, putting it to his shoulder. Apparently a smile wasn’t enough, he wanted her to see, no, perhaps the world to see that Jumin Han had it all, a loving woman included. She kept still as long as she had to, enduring the flash before he signaled it was fine to move, drawing her hands back to rub at her eyes. When she had moved, Jumin checked before he was satisfied, seeing him off. Pleased that that seemed to be the end of it, she froze when his expression turned unpleasant. 

 

“Darling, I’d very much like it if you would follow me.” he said, his words less affectionate and more a thinly veiled order. 

 

He led her to a different floor, pushing her down into a chair. His eyes alone told her that trying to get up was a bad move, and she stayed put, not moving a muscle until he returned with someone else. It was clear he had no intention of telling her what was going on, and it wasn’t until the woman produced a pair of scissors that she had any idea of what was happening. 

 

“Forgive me, Mr. Han, but you’re sure about the style you requested?” she asked hesitantly. 

 

“I would not have told you that’s what I want if it wasn’t.” he answered tersely. 

 

“Yes, of course sir.” she said apologetically. 

 

Her eyes fell to the floor in silent horror as her long hair fell in thick wisps. Normally, Jumin only ever brought her here if he noticed her ends were splitting or if he thought her hair should be styled differently, but this, this was something else. Cutting away so much felt more like he was definitely trying to hurt her, but the problem was that she had no clue as to why. After what felt like forever, she noticed the woman had stopped, brushing the hair away from the plastic covering before removing it and returning her to his care. He nodded his head, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the room. She didn’t take the chance to see how bad it was, too upset to care about what she looked like. The minute they returned, he walked away to make a call before coming back. Noticing the look on her face, he sighed, and it sounded almost like regret, almost. 

 

“You must be wondering why I did that.” he stated quietly. 

 

“Of course I am! I didn’t do anything wrong…” she huffed, unable to control her mouth. 

 

Jumin, pulled her to his chest, squeezing her gently, his fingers brushing through her hair, and a pang of hurt hit her when they stopped so quickly. Not because she wanted more, but because such a quick end meant it was far shorter than she had hoped. 

 

“That man. I didn’t like the way he looked at you. You belong to me, and he was thinking strange things about you. I could tell, that man wanted something of mine, something I care very deeply for. It is unfair to punish you for someone else’s sin, I know. Don’t be sad, my love, I’m only doing this to protect you.” he explained. 

 

A knock at the door called him away from her side once more, but again he returned all too quickly. 

 

“Please go get changed into this.” he told her. 

 

She didn’t bother to look, instead doing as he asked, glad he was allowing her to leave his side without the need to follow and watch. Still expensive, but instead of a dress, he had went out of his way to get what appeared to be a suit for her. Was he suddenly so interested in her dressing like him, or was it something else? What was the point in questioning anymore, it was always something else. She strode back out, hands clenched tightly at her side, uncaring at that moment of the consequences of her anger. 

 

“What the hell is this, Jumin?” she asked. 

 

He circled her slowly, a hand propped under his chin. He was sizing her up yet again, a soft sigh indicating he was displeased with it, but he still seemed to approve despite that.

 

“I don’t want other men looking at you, or thinking of doing things to you. I told you, I’m protecting you. I know you love me too much to do something bad like that, but still, whatever you do, I will never leave your side. You’ll be my wife, and we’ll have a wonderful family, I don’t intend to let you forget how much I love you. So no matter what, I will always forgive you.” he said. 

 

That was no real answer to her question, it was more of his misguided notions of what love was, at least to her. Dressing her like this felt like a way to control her, to ensure that no one found her pleasant in any way, and that...that actually made her sad. Zen was concerned with looks, and while initially, she had been sure she had a chance of being appealing enough for him to possibly like, there was no way he’d feel that way now. He might still come for her, but that would be it, she would have to survive on her own now for sure. Was it possible Jumin knew that they were planning something and that was the true reason he had gone to such lengths to ‘protect’ her. 

 

Changing the subject abruptly, Jumin grabbed the paper from inside his desk, glancing over it once more, though he put it away when he was done. Clearly it was something she wasn’t meant to see after all. 

 

“That reminded me somehow. Have you started today?” he asked. 

 

“Started what?” she asked, confused enough to drop her attitude. 

 

“You should have. If you haven’t, perhaps it’s time after all.” he mused, not answering her question. 

 

It hit her then what he was talking about. He said before he had been keeping an eye on her body. The strange book with names in it, and all the sudden talk of being a family, she had thought it might be the case, but now, this was like a confirmation. As creepy as it felt for someone else to know her body  _ that _ well, he was technically correct. Today was supposed to be the start, but there was nothing. He held up a small, plain box, his brow lofted questioningly, though he said nothing about it. Frowning, she crossed the room, taking it from him before stalking towards the bathroom. This was something she didn’t want to think about and didn’t really need complicating matters further, but she had to know, right? 

 

Closing the door, she heard his phone ring, deciding not to worry just yet, her ear pressed to the door in an effort to listen in. She wasn’t one for spying, but it could be important, and she wanted to remember everything she could. 

 

“Why are you calling me right now? I’m very busy.” he stated irritably. There was a long silence, before he again spoke. “What? Seriously? Is it really that bad?” Another long silence, his steps drawing closer, but he stopped partway. “I see. Very well then. I had planned to take...no, I understand. You’ve made that very clear. I meant to go on a trip for a few days, but if the situation is as dire as you say, then I suppose there’s no choice.” He took another few steps closer, close enough now that he sounded almost just outside the door. “Very well. Tell my father he can speak to me in person. I’m still getting my work done, I doubt he’s angry. Of course. Bye.” 

 

He growled angrily, a loud thud indicating he had just struck something. She hurried into place, seeing the light seeping through the bottom of the door darken, knowing he was just outside. The handle shifted, and he stepped in, his eyes fixed on hers, uncaring at how she seemed uncomfortable to be in the bathroom with him. Really though, she was more nervous he would be upset if he found out she still hadn’t done it yet. 

 

“I was planning to take you somewhere nice.” he began apologetically. “I thought you might like to see something different from these same walls, and the most efficient thing was to simply marry you while we were there, so the rest of the vacation could be our honeymoon.” he stopped, reaching a hand out to cup her cheek, his touch surprisingly warm and gentle, but she knew better than to trust that. Even if this was the real Jumin Han, he had already done too much damage. “...my father is concerned that I haven’t been showing up. Even though I’ve done everything asked of me and more, he wants me to go tomorrow. I...have to go. Please just stay here and wait for me.” 

 

Well, it wasn’t like she could go anywhere even though she wanted to. This thing on her ankle, he made sure to tell her it would be very painful, and that was enough to make her reconsider even just going outside, even though he had said she could go that far. She was not a measuring tape, she had no actual idea how far twenty feet was aside from guessing. If she guessed incorrectly, even by just a little bit, how badly would it hurt? More importantly, he would think she really was trying to escape, and that wasn’t good either. 

 

“I’ll stay right here and wait, as you say.” she said, struggling to hide the defeated tone of her words. 

 

There really was no escaping after all. Getting away and being out of his reach was just a silly fantasy. His eyes lit up, a knock on the door, he smiled again despite being upset just moments before. 

 

“That’ll be the painter. I’ll go give him the picture, it’s almost time for dinner, and while I can’t take you anywhere right now, I still think I should order some wine to celebrate. The first chance I have, you’ll be mine, forever.” he said, his words almost hummed out. 

 

Was he...happy? God he was so hard to figure out, how could his emotions jump so quickly and to such extremes? Either way, it felt like no matter how badly she wanted to get away, this was her life now, and she was stuck here, at his mercy, after all. 

 


	6. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zen and Seven manage to get her away without incident, but this is only the beginning. Now they have to throw Jumin off the scent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters will be kind of different, from others' perspectives. I hope it's alright :D!

Jaehee met up with Zen and Seven on her break again. Taking a sip of her coffee, she turned to the side, burying her face in the menu as she spoke, in case Jumin had been suspicious enough to have her followed. 

 

“I managed to convince him to come in today, apparently he wasn’t going to. Mr. Chairman was actually worried, so it won’t be strange when they meet up. We have to act today, our window is too small otherwise.” she said quietly. 

 

Seven pretended to be absorbed in his phone, not looking across the table. “I’m ready. I’ve gathered what I anticipate we might need. I’m concerned though…” 

 

Zen fidgeted with his hair, speaking with a hair tie in his mouth, his words muffled, the only thing he could think of to appear less suspicious. “Is there a problem? You did make sure to hack in and have a look first, right?” 

 

“Of course I did. I’m concerned. She looks miserable, and yet...I can’t help but think Jumin has her rethinking things. She was glued to his side all morning, but I can’t say why. Let’s just say her appearance is...suspect.” he mumbled. 

 

“Are you saying he’s really done something awful to her? I have everything I need ready to go in and get her, but I need to know as much as I can so I don’t run into problems…” Zen said. 

 

“I’m saying she may actually resist. Partially because I think she’s probably brainwashed to some degree, it has been a long time since he’s held her there. I noticed something around her ankle on the footage, I can’t tell for sure, but it’s possible he means to track her as well. I don’t want to risk taking it off before I know it’s not going to blow up or something. I saw that in a movie once. Either way, I’m certain there’s a tracking chip in it, so first, when we get her out, we need to fiddle with the information on it, mislead him a little so he doesn’t find her.” Seven explained. 

 

“What else can be done, she was the one who contacted Zen saying she needed to get out, are you saying she might have changed her mind?” Jaehee asked, surprised. 

 

“I’m sure she actually does want to get out, but she may be afraid. She might resist. Zen, since you’ll be the one to go in, I’ll teach you something, it’ll be a last resort if you can’t get her to come on her own. Most importantly, you can’t take the mask off, Jumin will be checking the footage, and it’s good if she struggles, she should look very unwilling for her safety, so the mask might help with that. Plus, he won’t immediately know who took her.” Seven warned. 

 

He slid a key across the table to Jaehee, frowning as he did. “Whatever you do, drive safely. I don’t want to have to lose two of my babies in one night.” 

 

She discreetly pocketed the key, nodding silently. 

 

“We’ll head out as soon as I can confirm Jumin is in the office working.” Seven said, his eyes glued to the phone. 

 

At his words, Zen fixed his hair up in a messy bun, not a style he would have preferred, but he was probably still amazing, he wished he had a mirror to look at, but he talked himself out of admiring how good he looked by remembering the point of this meeting. 

 

“I’ll head back now, and stop off at the penthouse, it’ll be less suspicious if I mind my break time wisely.” Jaehee said, finishing her coffee before she excused herself. 

 

* * *

 

She sat quietly on the couch, flipping through one of the magazines Jumin had left behind, some feeble apology for his own plans getting interrupted. It was no consolation, but at the same time, it gave her some tenuous connection to the outside world, some mild awareness of what was happening while she was stuck here. Tossing it down, she propped her head on her hand, her eyes stinging with tears as she felt her own hair shift against her palm as she did. She was still reeling in disbelief that he had allowed it to happen, much less asked for it to be done. Silence, the nothing strangely comforting, although punctuated by the faint ticking of a clock across the spacious room. She heard the sound of a car outside, and that alone was strange, no one really drove by, unless Jumin had somehow convinced his father to let him return home so quickly. 

 

Time stretched on before she heard it again, then a loud, rupturing boom, like an explosion. She bolted upright to attention, glancing at the window, deciding against checking outside, the guards would deal with it if there was a problem. The guards just outside the door spoke loudly, panicked, then footsteps rushing out of existence, clearly there was a problem after all. It had her very worried, nothing had ever happened to make the guards go away. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and figuring a guard had returned, she called for him to come in. One thing she could say positively about Jumin is that he had always prioritized her safety, and it was probably a formality to check if she was alright. 

 

The door burst open at her word, and a figure in a black mask rushed in, grabbing her hand and yanking her up. As planned, she struggled, trying to pull away, her hand trying to reach for the mask, until a distorted voice, like some robotic child echoed out. 

 

“Don’t. Don’t fight it, I’m taking you.” the voice said. 

 

Uneasily, she gave up on trying to see who it was, but she still tried to pull away, screaming then. Jumin was wealthy, heir to a corporation, it had never crossed her mind until just now, but maybe he had enemies, ones that intended to hurt her to get back at him. 

 

“Ugh...I really didn’t want to have to do this. I hope you’ll forgive me.” the voice told her. 

 

She felt a hard strike against her neck, everything going black suddenly, her body going limp, all thoughts fading into nothingness as her consciousness pulled away from her. 

 

* * *

 

She snapped away with a howl of pain, bending to feel her ankle, the skin under the bracelet raw and red. Nothing looked familiar, in a different house entirely, this wasn’t Jumin’s home… 

 

The door to the room opened, and the first thing she saw was startled red eyes. It was Zen…

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. 

 

“I’m too far away. He’s going to find me soon…” she mumbled. “It hurts…” 

 

She scraped at her ankle, trying to pull at the device, though the shock ran through her hand, forcing her to let go. 

 

“Don’t touch it. Seven has been trying to think of a way to get it off safely, I know it hurts, I’m so sorry…” he sighed. 

 

Seven wandered in, focused on his laptop, nearly running into the door on his way in. “I’m glad you’re awake. I’ve been busy making sure that Jumin won’t be able to track the signal here, I’m hoping I can get that off you in a bit.” 

 

“You’re...Luciel?” she asked quietly. 

 

He actually looked up when she said the name, his surprise turning into a gentle smile. “That’s right, this is the first time we’re meeting in person. I’m glad we got you out.” 

 

She frowned, remembering the explosion she heard. If he was involved then… “Oh no...I’m so sorry...are you hurt?” 

 

He grinned, though his expression was suddenly sad. “I wasn’t actually in it. Thank you for caring about my baby, but she died for a good cause. I can’t be sad about that.” 

 

Even as he spoke, his fingers tapped away at the keys, as if he didn’t even need to look to know what he was doing. There was an odd beep, and he took a few steps closer, his hand brushing her foot as he reached for the metal piece.

 

“No! You’ll get hurt too!” she panicked, trying to pull away. 

 

He ignored her, pulling it away harmlessly. “See? No problem.” he nudged Zen’s shoulder. “I’ll let you treat her. You’ve probably at least  _ played _ a doctor before.” 

 

Laughing, he retreated from the room, closing the door behind him. Zen didn’t speak right away, focusing on applying medicine to the raw skin, wincing as she gasped. It was probably cold, that and having someone touch a raw spot like this was likely painful. 

 

“I can’t believe he would be twisted enough to do this…” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anything. 

 

Now probably wasn’t the best time, but she recalled the vow she made to herself. No matter if this was temporary, or permanent, she had to keep it, a vow was sacred, and even the Gods themselves held mortals to such deep promises. With her like this, she honestly expected nothing to come of it, but it had to be done, and now, while she had even a little courage. 

 

“Zen…” she said quietly. 

 

He looked up, his eyes fixed on hers. “What’s wrong?” 

 

She shook her head, her fingers rubbing the spot on her neck, flinching at the slight pain. It felt hot, probably bruised. Not kidnapped after all, but rescued. She felt...conflicted about it. As much as she wanted to be free, she couldn’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t have been better for them if she had stayed. If he ever found out, it could only be dangerous for them.

 

“I made a pact with myself that if I got free, I would...tell you my feelings.” she began, her words trailing off nervously. “I hadn’t realized it before, I kind of thought you were only being nice to me, so I didn’t feel right about saying it but…” she paused, swallowing hard, realizing her throat felt dry and tight. “I l…” she stopped, frustrated. “I love you.” 

 

He said nothing right away, in fact, leaving the room. She figured it had actually been a bigger mistake than she imagined, saying it to him like that. Of course he didn’t feel the same. Maybe Jumin wasn’t wrong, maybe he was the only one who loved her, even if it didn’t feel like love to her, even if her own feelings faded. The door opened softly, a gentle click telling her it closed again. She couldn’t bring herself to look, until a glass came into view, water sloshing inside. She strained to sit up, accepting the glass gratefully, frowning as she drank. Had he really left just to bring her water? Hesitantly looking up, he patted her head gently, smiling, his cheeks painted a light pink. 

 

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I...didn’t want to be the only one who felt that way. I thought once you went to see Jumin, you’d just forget about me, so I convinced myself to give up on that idea…” he stopped, glancing at her side as if asking if she would mind him sitting by her. When she slid over, he carefully took a seat. “Seven will have to leave soon, he’s still got a lot of work to do. He says he’ll still be watching out for you to make sure you’re safe. Installing security cameras just outside. Look...I don’t want to make you feel like you’re still caged up and unable to leave, but for now, I just want to protect you. It...would be better if you let me keep an eye on you, I don’t want to let him take you away just because I’m not careful.” 

 

Her mind imagined so many things all at once just then, a mix of fear, happiness and a strange sense of excitement flared through her all at once.

 

“If you don’t find my company unpleasant, I’d be glad to have you with me. I don’t feel trapped at all…” she admitted. 


	7. Jumin's Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin is considering his relationship when he receives the news of his lover's sudden kidnapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be revisited later on, I want to write the events from the perspective of others involved as well, and I think Jumin offers a different insight into the relationship.

Jumin sat at his desk, surrounded by high stacks of paperwork, focused intently. He really had wanted to go back already. God, he missed her already and it hadn’t been long, but maybe the lure of vacation to some exotic location with only her was too strong. His gaze flicked to the band around his finger, pausing to fidget with it. Well, delayed or not, he was finally going to get the chance to make her his forever. He didn’t understand her attitude though, he had only been looking out for her best interest, trying to keep her safe. Being sweet and gentle, making sure she had everything she needed, anything she wanted, it hadn’t been enough. Locking her away was just a last resort until she realized how serious he was about her safety, but she hadn’t understood the intent then either. 

 

Now that she was coming around, receptive once more to the loving way he wanted to treat her, he thought it had been a simple case of wanting different things. Admittedly, he rushed the physical aspect, and maybe that had frightened her a little, but she loved him, he could hear it in her words, see it in her smile, her sweet, sparkling eyes, and hear it in her words. If she loved him that dearly, of course he had to do something to prove to her that he had no intention of straying from her side. Marriage, a family, those were ways to show dedication, right? Jumin lost himself in his thoughts, a sigh escaping uncharacteristically, momentarily abandoning his work in favor of trying to decide how best to apologize for his absence that morning. How could he reward his lovely girl for her devotion if the wedding plans were delayed? A gift was a fine place to start, but he had given her so much, surely she was tired of it already. Earrings. That would do the trick, a nice pair of earrings, the best he could find to compare to her radiance, how could she deny his feelings then. 

 

“Mr. Han?” a voice asked.

 

He barely registered it, making a mental note of any good idea he could come up with. In the back of his mind, her strange behavior nagged at him. It hurt when she pulled away from him, begged to leave his side, the way she screamed and cried when he tried to hold her, fought against his kisses and tried to push him away when he first had her. Her words had always been so understanding and loving, and yet she reacted to him so poorly, it felt like a knife wound to the heart. Like he had done something to deserve the way she treated him, but he didn’t hold it against her, couldn’t. She simply hadn’t been used to her new lifestyle. Living alone in that apartment was the problem, she had been alone, and scared, and being put in a lavish home with a loving man was clearly too much too soon for her, and the adjustment had been too hard. That was it, it had to be. 

 

“Mr.Han!” the voice repeated louder.

 

Intrusive, more annoying than even he could ignore. It was jarring enough to snap him from his thoughts, turning sharply to face the speaker. One of his guards stood in the door, out of breath. He looked concerned, though what he was doing away from the penthouse was beyond him. It was his job to watch for suspicious activity, and he wasn’t getting any kind of pay raise for abandoning his duty. It occurred to him that the reason he might be there was that something  _ had  _ happened. Against his wishes, his heart hammered in his chest, pushing against the desk like it would make him stand any quicker. 

 

“Is everything alright? How is she? Someone is still watching her, right?” he asked, panicked. 

 

The guard cleared his throat, adjusting his tie nervously. “Sir, something...something happened, and...well, she’s not there. The door was wide open, and she was nowhere to be found. I think someone took her.” 

 

“Why the hell did you come here instead of going to search for her. So help me, if something happens to her, you’re fired!” he shouted. 

 

It was a rare thing for him to be provoked to a point of yelling, but she could be in danger. If someone went through the trouble of breaking in to take here, it had to be bad. Perhaps if they didn’t find her she could be… no, she was a strong girl, there was no way they’d find her dead. A ransom call was more likely, whoever had taken her clearly either wanted money or something only he could offer in exchange for her return. His eyes flashed dangerously when he next looked to the man, and he quickly bowed, excusing himself. He needed to be composed, if he worried, he couldn’t think clearly. Sitting down once more, he went to check the security footage. Jumin regretted the lack of sound, but he hadn’t thought it necessary. Even so, he had briefly considered it, if only because at work, he missed her terribly, and he had hoped to hear her sweet voice all day long, but her strange moods had made that unlikely. As the guard stated, a figure burst through the door, grabbing her up. 

 

Whoever it was, they had better hope he never caught them. Someone touching his belongings always bothered him, but touching her? That was enough to make him wish the worst on them. His beautiful princess struggled valiantly, trying to escape the figure, but he bested her, knocking her unconscious before tossing her gracelessly over his shoulder and leaving with her. He frowned at the way he held her too, his hand flat on her lower back, too close to her perfect rear, reserved exclusively for him. Boiling blood was a colorful, if exaggerated term he had never found very likely, but in that instant, he felt it deeply. The GPS...he had momentarily forgotten it. Pulling out his phone, he went to track her, his brow furrowing in confusion as the dot that was the keeper of his heart danced and flickered across vast distances in a matter of seconds. He closed out of it, trying again, this time her location was settled squarely at the airport, it looked like. 

 

Jumin knew his father would have much to say to him if he skipped out of work so impulsively to look for her, instead, contacting his guards to keep an eye out for her at the airport. When he hung up, he noticed the dot dancing again. Seven wasn’t exactly someone he wanted to request help from, but he was reliable, and probably knew what to do about this. If he was busy, he wouldn’t pick up the phone, but he had a tendency to check the messenger, so he logged in quickly, trying to get his attention. He found him in a room with Zen, idly talking about some stupid project the actor was planning to audition for. The conversation ceased when he made his presence known. 

 

“Ah, the trust fund kid shows his face! It was no myth, Jumin exists after all!” Seven teased. 

 

“There’s no time for that. How do I fix a buggy GPS?” he asked impatiently. 

 

“Misplace something, jerk?” Zen asked. 

 

“No. Someone kidnapped my fiancee. I tried to figure out where she is, and I’ve got eyes on the place, but I don’t think it’s working properly.” he sent. 

“What? Seriously? How can you be sure she didn’t just get tired of you and ran off on her own?” Zen asked. 

 

“This isn’t the time to be jealous. I’m serious. She’s gone. She was taken, it was clearly on the video. I don’t know why you’ve been so insistent that I held her prisoner. She was here because she wanted to be. I took great care of her, and was a patient and kind lover, there’s no way she thought my intentions were bad and would just run away like that.” he said, his well concealed emotions bubbling violently to the surface. 

 

“Pssh. No. You know very well that she had asked to go home several times, you ignored her feelings and made her stay. You kept her to yourself, none of us even got to meet her at the party she spent so long planning. I don’t believe she was sick at all. Of course, the monster that you are, you probably tied her up and locked her in your room, didn’t you, you bastard.” he argued. 

 

“Well! A GPS problem? That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll shoot you an e-mail walking you through a fix for it, okay? I hope you find her and get her back safely!” Seven offered, hoping to diffuse the situation. 

 

“I think you’re the only one who might actually be worried about her. Thank you. I need to find her quickly, so I’ll go for now, the sooner I fix this, the faster I find her and get her back where she belongs.” he said. 

 

Logging out before anyone could answer, he checked his e-mail, relieved when it had arrived. He was worried for her, so help him if anyone touched her inappropriately, someone would be dead. That much was sure, even if she wasn’t at his side, he would still punish those arrogant enough to touch her. Wait, that photographer, he had been staring, watching her awfully close. It was entirely possible that he coveted her, and came back when he had returned to work to steal her away. Well. He had someone for that too, though he had never had a use for him until now. Reaching in his desk for the card, he quickly punched in the number, firing off a text. 

 

“I have need of your services. I believe someone kidnapped my wife. Will give details when you call, break things if it helps. I’ll compensate fairly.” he sent, too distraught for his usual carefully worded, if elegant texts. 

 

Jumin silently vowed to double her security when he got her back. If someone was willing to go to such lengths to take her from him, it was only logical to do whatever he had to in order to protect her. She had trusted him to keep her safe, and even his stringent measures had failed, he would have to make it up to her somehow. She might even be a bit upset with him for not doing enough to keep his promise. Troubling. Not just her though, she hadn’t been able to take the test, but he was healthy, and reasonably certain it was no longer just her he had to worry about. Zen didn’t know what he was talking about, sure, initially, she had expressed a desire to go back to the apartment, but even so, she insisted if he wanted, she would come right back after the party. Of course that meant she was happy with him, and didn’t want to be away from him, but he couldn’t let her return with no guarantee for her safety. That was the only reason he locked her away, he didn’t let her go to the party because he was concerned someone might try to hurt her if she did. 

 

Zen was incapable of love, except for himself and his own looks, how could he understand how much he treasured her, and the lengths he would go to in order to protect her. Normally, he couldn’t get to him, but in this one instance, his lack of understanding and his callous failure to be concerned for her had troubled him. Whatever, he could consider himself as not getting an invitation to their post-wedding festivities.


	8. Zen's View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zen spends a little time reflecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if this went as well as I hoped, but I still kind of like it.

She was sleeping. That was a blessing, he sat by the bed, holding her hand gently, reaching to brush her short locks from her face with a sigh. Part of him believed her current state was his fault, if he had been a little more caring, paid her more attention, let her know just how he felt. At the very least, if he had only warned her more strongly against going to see him, surely she wouldn’t have ended up like this. What kind of psycho would even consider something as twisted as the device Seven took off her ankle? Not just the physical damage, he hurt her heart, wounded her emotionally, and if he had to guess, though she hadn’t been very willing to talk about it, he probably forced her to do ‘other’ things too. The worst of all of it was that he could tell she was still thinking about him, as if he could read her already, he knew she was wondering if she just went back, if they’d be safe again. 

 

He had only just met her, but in their talks, he really felt like he had known her forever. She said she loved him, and he felt the same, now that she was at his side, he couldn’t imagine how he had lived before he met her. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her tightly and really let her feel his concern for her, but he knew she was conflicted, in pain, scarred. If he moved too fast, he’d only scare her away. Best just to let things go at her pace, as she trusted him. He wished he had thought ahead, but without knowing if things would even go as planned, he hadn’t considered preparing anything for her. He had nothing for her to wear, she had none of her own things here, and he wasn’t sure what to do about that. He couldn’t readily go out without her, leaving her side for even a moment wasn’t an option yet. Without knowing if Jumin might show up at his house looking for her, even with the security cameras, he didn’t like the risk that he might still be able to get to her. 

 

Seven had women’s clothes, but they were his, and he was sure they wouldn’t fit. Not that he had meant to look at her that way, but her proportions were a fair bit more _generous_ than his. Jaehee was taller, and her wardrobe was all suits anyway, so lending her any of hers was out of the question too. That was an idea though, Jaehee wasn’t suspicious at all to Jumin, and even though her breaks were short, she could move about freely. Zen let go of her hand long enough to grab his phone, dialing the number. It took a while to connect, and he imagined she saw his name and had to sneak off to talk privately. 

 

“Zen, hello.” she said quietly, her tone saying he was right. 

 

“Jaehee, I’m sorry to ask this of you, you’ve already done a lot for her, but...she needs clothes, and I didn’t know what else to do.” he sighed. 

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll stop by tonight.” she answered. 

 

“Wait, don’t you need to know her size or anything, when she wakes up, I can ask her for you…?” he wondered. 

 

She sighed heavily. “No need. Mr. Han had me pick up things for her before, I know her exact measurements, unfortunately.” 

 

“Wow. That’s...that’s a little weird.” he said. 

 

“He admitted he wasn’t very good about shopping, but he told me exactly what to buy and in what size. It is weird, but that’s Mr. Han for you, when he likes something he obsesses too much.” she said. “I need to go, my break is over. I’ll see you later.” 

 

He hung up after she disconnected, hearing a quiet, pained moan. Looking over to her, she sat up slowly, reaching to uncover her leg. She was still hurting, though it didn’t look nearly as swollen as it had before. 

 

“Hold on, I’ll bring you something for the pain. I can put more medicine on it if it feels too bad…” he told her. 

 

“Please...don’t trouble yourself, I’ll be fine…” she said, her words betrayed by a small whimper. 

 

Zen shuffled out of the room, coming back with medicine despite her protest. He handed her a drink and two pills, patting her head when she took them. Sitting on the foot of the bed, he lifted her leg onto his lap, making sure to coat the wound all the way around. She had slept for hours, not quite peacefully, but at least it was something, and he imagined she must be starving by now. He didn’t have much, grocery shopping also something he had forgotten to do. Frowning, he looked away, putting her leg back down. 

 

“Zen...are you okay?” she asked.

 

God, she had gone through hell, suffered because the RFA had failed her, he had failed her, and she was more worried about him? Her heart, at least, was still too pure, and it felt wrong to have her concerned for anyone but herself then. 

 

“I’m not very good at taking care of you. I...well, I love you, and yet I’m not doing enough. Why didn’t I think this through better?” he mumbled. 

 

Glancing back, she looked at him blankly, like she was confused by his words. She wasn’t complaining at all, not accusing him of anything, instead, she was just smiling, until he noticed the tears forming in her eyes. Without thinking, he slid across the bed, leaning against her side, wiping them away slowly. She was too good, Jumin never deserved someone like her, and yet, even away from him, he was still making her cry. Sniffling, she leaned into him, her head resting on his chest, and he hesitantly embraced her, always aware of signs she was uncomfortable with the contact, but it never came. 

 

“I should be the one feeling bad. You saved me, even after everything, you came to my rescue.” she laughed weakly, sniffling again. “Like a knight in shining armor, just like you said... I didn’t deserve it, but you did it anyway. I’m grateful.” 

 

What did he do to her to make her think so little of herself? She did nothing but try to help that jerk, and he used her, hurt her, and she still blamed herself. She needed her strength, and until he figured out how to get to the store safely, he had limited options. 

 

“Hey, can you walk okay? I don’t want to leave you alone, but you need to eat. Come with me to the kitchen, I’ll make you some tea and find some--” his words were cut away. 

 

She pressed a finger to his lips, shaking her head slowly. It appeared that at that moment, she wanted to stay there, in his arms for a little longer. He still felt like he had failed her, but  _ this,  _ this was something he could do for her. 

 

“Hey...I know this is probably too much right now, but...I won’t let anything happen to you, now or ever. If...if it’s not too much to ask of you, just...stay by my side, alright? I swear, I’ll never hurt you.” he said, hoping it wasn’t painful to hear. 

 

She tensed at his words, and for a moment, he thought she was upset. She reached for his hand, content to hold it, and he found himself aware of how small and delicate it was. Glancing down to her, his eyes closed slowly, her lips falling on his unexpectedly. It was a short, gentle kiss, but it felt nice. 

 

“I...trust you. You’re not like him, I’ll trust what you say, I don’t want to cause trouble.” she murmured. 

 

Zen smiled a little, gently tugging her hand, nodding his head towards the door. As nice as it was to hold her like this, she really should get something. This time, she didn’t resist, slipping off the edge of the bed, though she tottered unsteadily, wincing. Of course it hurt, it looked like it was hard for her to walk still. Nothing for it then, he let go of her hand, bending slightly to lift her. 

 

“I’ll carry you there. I want to take you to the hospital, but Seven is still working to mislead him, we’re not sure if he’ll be able to find you easily yet... I’m sorry.” he told her. 

 

She shook her head in that all too kind and understanding way she had, allowing him to carry her out of the room, replacing her on the couch. Once she seemed to relax, he made his way to the kitchen to find something for her. Not much there, as he thought, but maybe she’d be happy with tea and noodles. While he waited, he checked the time on his phone, frowning a little. It would still be a few hours until Jaehee arrived, and though he hated to bother her further, with her being the only one who could move about without drawing suspicion, he had no choice but to ask her. Seven had spoke with him privately before he left, told her a little about what he had initially found when she first joined, though he hadn’t wanted her to know that he had knew so much right off from watching her. There was one camera in the apartment, and he had seen her. One thing was consistent, she  _ was _ really cute, it was true. He said her hair had originally been just past her waist, and now, now it fell just to the bottom of her neck. 

 

Jumin, if he thought about it from his perspective, he gathered he knew just what the point of all this was. Dress her like a man, chop off her hair, the symbol of feminine grace, all so no one would be tempted to look at her, but what he didn’t realize is even for all that he had done, she was still cute, he had done nothing but hurt her. Unfortunately, he was a man with a fair bit of power, so going after him was out, as was kicking him out of the RFA, V would never go for that, but this way, keeping him in meant they had a way to monitor what he was doing. With any luck, maybe he’d eventually tire of looking for her and give up, and she could come out of hiding, hopefully, by his side even then. 


	9. Close Calls and Seven's Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin comes to Zen's house after following Jaehee, resulting in clever improv, and some rather unexpected gifts from God Seven...

There was a knock at the door, and Zen left her side to answer it. Jaehee stood there, overburdened with bags of clothes, a flustered look on her face. She passed them off quickly, adjusting her slipping glasses with a heavy sigh. 

 

“Ah. Did you have any trouble? I hope it wasn’t a burden. Oh...but you got a lot of things, didn’t you?” he asked, noticing the weight of the bags.

 

Jaehee stepped to the side, a redhead grinning mischievously behind her. “I helped. There’s some other things in the car too, I realized you’re not even good at taking care of yourself, so I snuck out and got some groceries for you, there’s some special things too, so no peeking, right, those are just for her.” 

 

Zen eyed the bags suspiciously, almost afraid to think about it. Knowing him, he probably threw in something cat themed on purpose to aggravate him. He disappeared for a moment, before returning with more bags, looped all along his forearms, carrying them in and to the kitchen. Jaehee stood patiently outside until he invited her in, bowing her head in thanks, closing the door behind her. “Seven says he can’t stay long, and to be honest, I think Jumin is getting a little suspicious, I left quicker than I meant to, so I shouldn’t stay very long either.” 

 

She tensed at the mention of his name, dragging her knees to her chest, hiding her face. Catching it out of the corner of his eye, he quickly returned to her side, rubbing her back gently. “Don’t worry, even if he comes here, he won’t take you away.” 

 

Almost like the saying, ‘speak of the devil’, they heard a car door outside. Jaehee glanced through the closed curtains, hissing out a warning. “Ahh, we talked about him too much, he has a sense for these things, I swear…” 

 

Jumin adjusted his sleeves, pausing to speak with the driver before turning towards the door. Seven had just finished putting away the groceries, not stopping for a second as he quickly rushed over, grabbing her hand and pulling her from the couch, a finger to his lips to warn her to be quiet. He settled her down in a closet filled with coats, closing it behind her. “Stay quiet, let us handle this!” 

 

Seven took a seat on the couch by Zen, noticing the two empty cups and bowls on the table, rearranging them to look as if he had been using one set. There was a knock at the door, and Jaehee opened it when prompted. “Mr. Han, what brings you here?” 

 

Jumin stepped in, looking around, his eyes immediately drawn to the table near the couch, then to Zen, and finally Seven. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean anything wasn’t suspect. “You didn’t answer your phone, Assistant Kang. I thought you left a little too quickly and decided to see why. Not just you, but Seven as well...I have to ask myself what’s going on in here…” 

 

Zen clenched his fist at his side, but Seven squeezed his wrist in warning, his eyes narrowed as if to tell him to let him deal with this. Rising from the couch, he grinned broadly. “Does it look like a party? Zen hasn’t been doing  _ that _ well. It was his idea, after all. ‘We should combine our powers and help that jerk find his girl after all.’ So, we found a bit of time, and we met up here to brainstorm how to find her.” 

 

Jaehee noticed the closet door move slightly, and she instinctively moved to lean against it, afraid she might feel too concerned and come out of hiding in exchange for their safety. Jumin took a moment to watch her, but turned back to Seven. “And? Have you come up with anything?” 

 

He nodded, holding up his phone proudly. “I managed to work out the bugs in the GPS you were using. Before you ask ‘God Seven, how did you manage to figure out which specific one I was using? I’m a hacker, of course! I did a little research, I hacked your phone earlier and tried it out myself.” 

 

Zen muffled a distracting cough as if to ask why he would do such a thing, even jokingly, but he ignored it. Jumin appeared to be mildly interested, crossing his arms defensively over his chest, like he was holding back hope of it being correct. “Well, if that’s true, where is she?” 

 

Seven honed in on the dot, waving him closer. His steps were cautious and slow, leaning in close enough to look. It looked to still be in the country anyway. “There’s a picture too, if you want to see it?” 

 

Jumin gave a nod. Seven switched to his gallery, pulling up a photo, a girl who looked much like she did, blindfolded and cuffed to a pipe. It was a close up from the shoulders up, but it seemed to be convincing enough. “That does seem to be her. Did anyone tell you what they want, was there a demand for ransom or anything?” 

 

Seven shrugged. “I didn’t get a call or anything, I did a lot of hacking to find this photo. It took a lot of work. Aren’t you grateful?” 

 

Jumin’s frown said he was in fact, not grateful at all. “I’ll save my gratitude when she’s back in my arms, in our house. I’ll invite you to the reception after we get married, how is that?” 

 

Seven pouted, burying his face in his arm like he was wiping away tears that weren’t there. “You’re so kind, I’ll work even harder to find her then. I want cake.” 

 

Adjusting his tie, Jumin headed for the door once more, excusing himself. “Call me if you find anything. Assistant Kang, don’t stay up too late, I don’t need you dragging tomorrow. In addition to your regular work, I have a special task for you as well.” 

 

“Yes, Mr. Han.” she said, waiting until he left to let out a sigh of disappointment. “I suppose I should get going after all.” 

 

She waved dejectedly, moving away from the closet to leave. Seven patted Zen’s shoulder, grinning as he head out as well. “Remember, only for her~” 

 

Zen waved a hand as if to shoo him off “I get it, just go already.” 

 

When things had calmed down, he went to the closet, helping her out of it with a smile. “I’m sorry you had to be stuck in there, you must have felt awful… anyway, you have new clothes, why not go try a bath and get changed, I bet you’ll feel better.” 

She nodded once, looking to the bags he pointed out, grabbing the first one she saw before heading to the bathroom. Mindful of her privacy, he returned to the couch, a long time passing before he heard a sound that struck him as strange. Worried something happened, he rushed through the plain door, his face flushing a deep red when she came into view, stopping in place like he had frozen. She was dressed in lacy black undergarments, a small pink ribbon resting between her...he couldn’t finish the thought, but it felt like an angel left a kiss right there, that ribbon the mark left behind. He meant to look away, and yet he couldn’t. Just in front of her, her hands clenched two different pieces to what looked to be a uniform of some kind. 

 

“Are...are you okay, I thought...you were hurt…” he managed to mutter slowly. 

 

“Oh...I’m fine, sorry to worry you, I just...well, I was just confused as to why this was in there…” she admitted. 

 

“They look fine.” he said, swearing under his breath, realizing she didn’t mean the underwear. “I mean...well, Seven did say there were things in there for only you to see, maybe that’s it…” 

 

She glanced down at herself, hurriedly putting on the outfit, concerned she had accidentally upset him. “I like those too though. Jumin didn’t have let me wear them.” 

 

Zen cringed at the name, but even still, he missed out. Whatever his reasoning was, he was a strange guy, who would want to miss something like that? He wasn’t about to say such a thing to her, not when he was trying to make her feel comfortable and safe around him. Though the outfit left him curious. “I wonder where Seven even got something like this? I thought most schools didn’t offer these outfits unless they’re for a student…” 

 

Shrugging, she sighed. “I don’t know. It’s nice though, it feels comfortable, not as restrictive…” 

 

He turned away, nodding, pointing to the door. “I’ll get going.” 

 

Concerned, she couldn’t help but ask. “Is it my fault?” 

 

Shaking his head furiously in denial, it was probably better to be honest with her anyway. “It’s all me. I don’t want to make you unhappy or scared, but...at the end of the day, I’m still a man, and I can’t see something like this and not think...certain things.” he cleared his throat, reaching for the door. 

 

“I...see... would it put you anymore at ease if…” she hesitated, giving herself a moment to think it through, knowing he would only be troubled if she said something careless. “I mean...is that something you want?” 

 

His knuckles turned white around the handle, his shoulders raising tensely at her words. “Honestly, it is something that’s crossed my mind, but I refuse to act on anything until you’re ready. I’m not like him, and I won’t make you feel badly about me.” 

 

Biting her lip, she reached out, pressing a hand to his shoulder. He was completely different, and it wasn’t like she didn’t feel the same way for him that he said he felt for her. She had thought of it, at least a little. What worried her about it wasn’t what he might do, whatever that was, she could tell he wouldn’t hurt her. The problem was what might happen to him if Jumin found out, though his words rang in her mind, she wasn’t about to offer such an option to him, worried he would accept out of some misplaced sense of obligation. 

 

“I’m alright with it. I want to keep you safe though…” she mumbled. 

 

He laughed a little at that. “Keep me safe? Babe, I’ve done my fair share of fighting before, I can hold my own against a guy like that, don’t worry for me. He won’t find you either, Seven, even Jaehee all did their part to protect you, so you’re definitely not alone. I’d bet even Yoosung would have helped if he had showed up too.” 

 

Sighing a bit, he reached for her hand then, exiting with her. “Before any of that though, I know what Seven said, but I think we should look at the rest together. I’m not sure my heart can take any more of these ‘surprises’...” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not guaranteed, but the next chapter may be fairly smutty.


	10. Interruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zen is about to make his move, until someone shows up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry guys, I couldn't resist doing this.

They had carefully looked through the rest of the bags Seven had brought, a shared sense of awkward confusion between them, sitting together on the couch again.

 

“I...hm.” Zen began, trying to put thoughts into words. “We probably shouldn’t say anything about this. I feel like he’d just laugh.” 

 

“Good idea…” she agreed quietly. 

 

He stared at her in silence, watching as she turned slightly, leaning against his side. She still looked exhausted, like she was still stressed out about everything up to this point. Not that anyone could blame her, even the rescue itself had to have terrified her, from her eyes it probably very much seemed like he was someone there to actually kidnap her. She said she was alright being  _ closer _ , but even so, that felt like asking so much of her. Zen slowly reached around her shoulders, giving her time to notice what he was doing. She looked at his hand, but then closed her eyes as if it hadn’t concerned her in the least. 

 

“Are you tired? I can put you to bed for awhile if you want.” he offered, blushing when he thought about it. “Not...like that, I mean, actually put you in the bed.” 

 

At that, she shook her head. “No, I’d rather stay here with you. I’m...not comfortable being alone just yet. I apologize if I’m being bothersome…” 

 

“Hey, no, don’t say that! If it was a problem, Seven would have taken over and dropped you back at the apartment. You’re here because I insisted...I wasn’t okay with you being left alone and I really wanted you where I could keep you safe.” he said, gently squeezing her shoulder. 

 

Leaning like this had to be bad for her back though. Turning slightly, he stretched out along the couch, bringing her back with him, patting her head. Something caught his attention quickly though, bending closer, he tugged at the collar of the uniform, trying to get a closer look. She squirmed, biting her lip. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just looking. Are you okay?” he asked, worried. 

 

She shook her head, blushing. “I’m fine...it just feels funny, that’s all.” 

 

He wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but since she said she was fine, he continued, moving it aside, exposing the strange mark fully. Her skin was bruised, beginning to scar, though he couldn’t quite make out why. “What happened here?” 

 

Tilting her head to try and see, she frowned. “Ahh, that.” thinking back, trying to recall what had happened that led to it, but she couldn’t. “He bit me. It hurt, and it bled, but I didn’t realize there really was a lasting mark there. I just thought he meant it figuratively.” 

 

She squirmed again, and it was then that he made the connection. It hadn’t been that him seeing it had troubled her, it was his doing. Without noticing, he was breathing against the back of her neck, and it appeared to be a very sensitive spot. She was willing, maybe it was some kind of sign that this was always meant to happen? Still, the idea worried him substantially. Closing the small space between them, he placed a tentative kiss on her neck, taking his time up to her ear, nibbling gently, her head dropping down with a quiet sigh. At the very least, she wasn’t disliking it, and after everything, she would surely tell him if it was uncomfortable. Letting go of her shoulder, he reached for her hands, slipping his fingers between hers, sneaking a gentle kiss when she turned towards him. For all his concerns, in truth, she really had nothing to worry about. It was true, he had dated before, but that was a difficult time in his life, and his relationships were fleeting, too much so to have considered going anywhere like this. He had a decent idea of what to do, however. As he so often said, men were wolves, and he wasn’t an exception. Though that thought reminded him to clear out his browser history at some point. 

 

He pulled back from her, sighing quietly. “Are you really okay with this? I need you to be sure, I’m not at all sure if I’d be able to stop so easily…” 

 

“I’m positive. I can’t make what happened go away, but even so, this is different. Maybe this is exactly what will help most? I can’t say for sure without trying first.” she mumbled, shy. 

 

“Well...fine, but at least let me know if you’re unhappy.” he relented finally. 

 

Nodding again, he brought her back to him again, nervously reaching for the first button on her blouse, slipping it free, nearing the second one when there was a knock at the door. She sat up, and he frowned, wondering who it was, before realizing it might be Jumin again. Quickly getting up, he peered out from behind the curtain, grumbling under his breath, glancing back. “It’s fine, it’s not him.” 

 

Opening the door, a cheerful blonde greeted him happily. “Zen! Is it true? Is she really here?” 

 

He huffed out a slow, heavy breath, backing up to let him in, closing the door behind him. “See for yourself.” 

 

Yoosung needed only a few seconds before he rushed over, hugging her tightly. “Ah! I’m so sorry, I got a little excited. This is the first time you’re seeing me, I should try not to scare you, right? I’m Yoosung!” 

 

Zen shook his head as though he were irritated. “What are you doing here, don’t you have LOLOL or something going on today?” 

 

He shrugged, plopping down on the couch to her left. “Well, there was a team battle today, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to meet her. It’s close to dinner right? Well, I did say a long time ago that I wanted to cook for her when I got the chance, and since she’s here, I can, right? I mean for you too, Zen, we can eat together!” 

 

His energy was infectious, and without being sure why, she was getting excited about the idea, beaming happily. Zen sunk down in defeat on her other side, patting her knee lightly. “Alright...I get it. Seven brought groceries before, so there’s probably stuff in the kitchen for whatever.” 

 

Without a second thought, he got back up, heading for the kitchen, humming to himself. Zen was about to replace his hand around her shoulders, until Yoosung started making noise, the clatter of shifting pots and pans, the rattle of dishes, all too distracting. 

 

“This won’t be so bad either. You won’t know it, I’m sure, but he’s been dying to meet you. He’s the one who actually first suspected Jumin was keeping you from us. I think he doesn’t realize just how good his intuition actually is…” he said. 

 

“Well, I’ll remember to thank him as well. I really had no idea anyone cared this much, if I’m being honest. The easiest thing would have been just to leave me there, it was my fault. I was being naive to think I was enough to open his heart and help him, I thought too highly of myself…” she admitted. 

 

“No, don’t say that...it’s not your fault. You had feelings for him, it was natural to want to try and help him, and he took it too far. He’s the one who isn’t normal. No one in their right mind would lock someone away when they say they want to leave. It’s important that you don’t blame yourself. You did the right thing by telling me, so no matter what happened, things will only get better from here.” he whispered. 

 

Yoosung sidled back out of the kitchen for a moment, his hair held back with a white headband, looking her over before he spoke. “I meant to ask you something, if that’s alright?” 

 

“Sure, what is it?” she wondered. 

 

“That uniform...Um… I didn’t recognize it at first, but the crest on the chest, it’s for SKY University, that’s where I go too. I don’t wear it myself, but I’ve seen it. Does...that mean you’ll be going to school too?” he asked. 

 

She tugged at the fabric, smoothing it enough to get a good look at the symbol. She glanced furtively towards Zen, as if trying to send him a mental message. He matched her expression, shrugging wordlessly. 

 

“I don’t know, Seven brought this over, but he didn’t really say anything about it.” she fell silent again, looking it over. “I actually assumed it was supposed to be some kind of fetish after I thought about it…” 

 

Yoosung said nothing, quickly rushing back to the kitchen. Zen laughed, shaking his head. “Such a kid. I bet he’d have a heart attack if someone said something even more suggestive to him than ‘fetish’.” 

 

Tipping her head, she shrugged. “Is fetish a suggestive word?” 

 

He prodded her forehead lightly, watching her cheeks puff out indignantly. “It can be. I’m relieved to see he didn’t completely corrupt you.” 

 

Still innocent somehow? Doubtful, but naive, probably. It was definitely naive of her to think going back was a good idea, even with the noblest of intentions. The more she considered it, the more it was becoming obvious that he still wouldn’t change, he might even be more strict in watching her, worse than a cage or a shock anklet. That and if he had discovered  _ everyone _ had lied to him and helped to hide her, even she wouldn’t be able to convince him to leave it alone.

 

“I’m not innocent. I’m just getting out of my fantasy life and stepping into reality.” she sighed. 

 

Yoosung coughed slightly, humming louder. Looking to Zen, he laughed again. “He may be a puppy, but the instinct is still there. He’s just a lot better at ignoring it, I think.” 

 

Some time later, he sheepishly came back out to announce he had finished cooking, calling everyone back to the kitchen table, staring down at his plate. “It might not look so great, but I think it should taste fine…” 

 

She reached across the table and patted his head lightly. “I’m sure it’s alright. Don’t feel so badly, I can’t really cook much of anything.” 

 

“You don’t have to learn if you don’t want to. I’ll cook for you all the time, and if I get busy, I’ll still make sure to order something so you don’t have to worry about it.” Zen assured her. 

 

“No...that’s fine, I’ll learn what I can. It isn’t fair of me to keep putting you out like this, I want to do something useful…” she mumbled. 

 

Yoosung seemed lost in thought, though out of nowhere, he snapped out of it. “You’re right. On that note, I’ll leave after dinner, I have some things I need to ask Seven about, and I...should go to class tomorrow.” 

 

“Wow, you’re going to school? A miracle has happened!” Zen teased. 

 

“Good luck tomorrow!” she said, trying to cheer him on. 

 

The rest of the dinner was mostly silent, except for idle chatter. No one seemed to want to pick even a potentially serious topic, for fear of upsetting the good mood that had developed, even after Yoosung left, instead of talking, Zen suggested a movie, disappearing for a time before returning with a blanket, curling up with her to watch it with her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll get to the steamy bits next


	11. We're Not Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some discussion, Zen decides there won't be any more interruptions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly smut. Probably not great, I actually had a little trouble with it for once haha.

Feeling a light touch against her hair, she woke up, opening her eyes slightly, Zen’s hand petting her head warmly, a smile on his face. 

 

“You look so cute when you sleep, I hope I didn’t wake you.” he said. 

 

Sitting up slowly, she shook her head. “No, I woke up on my own. Did I...I mean, I’m kind of heavy right? Wasn’t it uncomfortable?” 

 

“You’re not heavy at all. I...liked it. You’re really warm.” he said, looking away. 

 

She followed his eyes to her hand, frowning a little. Sitting up fully, she pulled the ring off, having managed to forget she even had it on, she tossed it on the table. “I’m going to give it to Seven. Maybe he can convince Jumin the kidnappers sent it, or that I died or something.” 

 

He reached for her hand, unable to look her in the eyes just then. “Hey...I want to ask you something, it’s important.” 

 

“You got serious so suddenly. What’s on your mind?” she asked apprehensively. 

 

“It’s...you said you love me. I just...need to know what I am to you. I’m nervous, I guess.” he mumbled. 

 

“This is so unlike the Zen I know!” she teased. “I...can’t really say, doesn’t that somewhat depend on you? I’d like for us to be…” her words trailed off, her face suddenly red. 

 

“Be mine...not just now, but forever...I want you to be my girl...I was...jealous of Jumin, I admit it. I liked you from the start, and I really should have said something, but I just couldn’t, I was...scared you’d reject me. You’re not like most girls, I couldn’t really tell how you felt, but you were so cool about my looks, and I thought maybe I had misread you...I don’t just want to protect you, I want you. I’m really trying to be patient, but I really need to know.” he explained quietly, squeezing her hand. 

 

“It’s my fault...I really liked you too, but Jaehee had a point, I didn’t want to mess up your career, and I thought maybe you didn’t like me either. I convinced myself you were just being nice. Then, Jaehee said Jumin wasn’t himself, and that it might help if I went to him, so I really thought I actually could help instead of...spending my time thinking of you so much…’ she took a deep breath. “If forever is what you want, I...am really happy for that. I’ll stay by you no matter what.” 

 

Hearing that, he gently pulled her back to him, his eyes fixed on hers, drawing her in for a kiss. Like this, she hesitantly rested her palms against his chest, her fingers curling loosely into his shirt. He broke the kiss, taking a moment to catch his breath, sweeping her hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing against the collar of her shirt. 

 

“I...don’t think I want to stop here...is that alright?” he asked. 

 

She couldn’t find the right words, nodding instead, afraid her voice might give out if she tried to say anything. Zen lightly pushed her to sit up, moving to stand then, he smiled a little at her confused expression, holding his hand out for her. 

 

“I...thought you’d at least prefer a bed, the couch probably isn’t very comfortable…” he explained. 

 

Reaching for his hand, he pulled her up, lifting her off her feet. Before she could ask, he tipped his head towards her ankle, still raw but mostly healed now, she hadn’t shown signs of hurting in a bit, but he liked the convenient excuse to carry her like a princess. He nudged the door open, depositing her easily on the bed before leaving to close the door. Thinking about the night before, he looked around, locking the door and drawing the blinds, moving to rest over her, speaking quietly against her lips. 

 

“No interruptions this time, we’re not home right now…” he kissed her once before continuing. “I’m actually nervous. I feel like you’ll realize I’m not...ah...nevermind…” 

 

His hand came to rest behind her head, his fingers threading through her hair. Kissing her again, he pried her lips apart, sweeping along her lower lip, slowly weaving against her tongue, his other hand stopping on her first button, twisting it free, following the short stretch of fabric to the next, coming back up when he had finished opening her blouse, drawing his fingers along the edge of her bra. Her skin was flushed, warm, and soft, frustrating, he was struggling not to be overwhelming, but at the same time, he needed more. He broke the kiss, mouthing a path along her throat, over her shoulder, up her neck, nibbling her earlobe, swallowing back a moan. She lifted enough to remove her blouse, pushing it off to the side, biting her lip, her fingers deftly unhooking her bra, the heat rising between them more intense than she recalled, more than she could handle. 

 

Zen slipped his fingers under the thin strap, peeling it off her shoulder, freeing his hand from under her head to free the other side, his heart pounding as he pulled it away, moving away to look at her, though it was like she couldn’t look then. 

 

“Are you alright? Is this too much?” he asked quietly. 

 

“I’m nervous too. I’m afraid you’ll change your mind about me if you see…” she mumbled. 

 

“I like you as you are. You’re beautiful…” he said. 

 

Burying his face in her neck, she gasped, his hand caressing her thigh. His ascent was slow, easy, almost hesitantly sliding under her panties, her hips raising against his touch. It was too hot, distracting, and as much as he wanted to stay with her, he needed to deal with that first. Her eyes opened curiously when he moved away, though he said nothing this time, focused on trying to shed his clothes quickly, carelessly tossing them to the floor, grinning at the way she blushed watching him. 

 

“You act like you’ve never seen a man like this. Is it that embarrassing?” he teased. 

 

“Ahh...more like...you’re much nicer to look at…” she admitted guiltily. 

 

“Is that so? Well, you can tell me more later, for now, it still seems like one of us is wearing far too much…” he said. “Once those are gone, I think I want another kiss~” 

 

As though it were a challenge, she turned onto her stomach, fumbling for the zipper on the skirt, her shyness dissipating quickly as she struggled out of it, her thumbs hooking the edge of her panties, dropping them with the mass of clothes piled on the floor. Rolling again, he leaned over her, holding her hands in his, his breath tickling her lips. 

 

“Babe, were you that eager for me to kiss you?” he whispered harshly, nipping her lip between words. 

 

“Mm. I was...so, can I have it now?” she cooed softly. 

Zen gazed into her eyes, a hint of something she couldn’t identify clouding the vibrant red. “You can have anything you want…” he answered. 

 

He held nothing back this time, capturing her lips hungrily, drawing her tongue into his mouth, pressing his knee between her legs, pushing them apart. Unwilling to part again, he patted her hip as a warning, Easing against her, she squeezed his hands, a muffled moan vibrating through their mouths. He was getting too greedy, even this, he still wanted more of her, swiping her lower lip before going back to explore her neck, biting gently, letting go of her hands to hold her, keeping her to him.  Every sound she made sent fire through his veins, like every moment was bliss and torment all in one. Her hands rested flat on his chest, exploring slowly down and back up, like she was studying the cords of muscle appreciatively. He ground into her harder, faster, unable to hold back, gasping at the way she arched to him, writhing under him, her nails leaving crescent moons on his chest and shoulders, stifling her sounds with her lip trapped between her teeth. 

 

Her fingertips swept patterns through the beads of sweat rolling down his skin, blunted nails stinging at her back. Zen brushed his left hand along her side, grasping her hip, guiding her back to him. He could feel her pulse racing just under the jumping skin at her neck, and he thought he could hear her heart beating faster, though it could have easily been his too. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, eyes closed, lips parting to try and catch her breath, glistening with sweat, her skin marked with red spots. He hadn’t meant to be quite so rough with her, and yet not once did she complain, meeting his intense desire for her head on. There had been many lines in scripts, describing falling so deeply for someone, that nothing could ever fill the longing for each other, that nothing was ever enough, and he could really understand that. A truly all consuming desire for her that was almost frightening. 

 

Travelling up his chest, towards his neck, she pulled away the tie of his ponytail, his hair spreading out across his shoulders. He bit her earlobe tugging once to call her attention, his words hot against her ear. 

 

“Was is bothering you?” he whispered. 

 

“I like it a lot more this way…” she answered. 

 

At that, he had an idea, delicately sweeping his tongue across her collarbone, his hair tickling across, bucking and squirming in protest, her anxious laughter cut away in favor of shaky gasping, a thin line of fire dancing down her leg, bringing it up at his side, his moans vibrating through her chest. It was unusually easy to lose herself in him, all of her awareness devoted to him, things like the passing of time and everything that wasn’t him had fallen by the wayside, the first time she could recall such a thing. It was always different, acutely aware of anything that wasn’t happening directly around her. Her chest rose and fell faster, breathing heavier with every moment, grasping his shoulders tightly, overcome with a rush of heat, and static that was what she imagine melting must feel like. He shivered, noticeable under her fingers, keeping her against him firmly, searching blindly for her lips again, muffling hoarse groans verging on a stifled growl. Pressed heavily between him and the mattress, he hit his limit, slowing to a stop, pulling free, he snuggled against her with a relieved sigh, peppering her face with brief, light kisses. As if recalling something he had forgotten, he squeezed her gently, voicing his concern.

 

“Are you okay? That wasn’t...too much, was it?” he asked quietly. 

 

“Have I worried you? I’m fine, really.” she said, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Although I am unusually sleepy right now…” 

 

“I want to stay with you like this a little longer. I’m a little tired too, actually.” he mumbled. 

 

Zen opened his eyes just enough to examine the bed, more than big enough for both of them, but that didn’t stop him from being more concerned about her comfort. It was like she could tell what was on his mind, preempting any questions with her words.

 

“I’d really like it if you stayed with me. If you want to, I mean.” she said, her eyes closed already. 

 

With that in mind, he moved to the other side of the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist, drawing her back to him, laying his head against her shoulder. Even about to fall asleep, she looked really cute, unable to resist giving her one last smooch before the desire to doze off was too hard to fight.

 


	12. Critical Report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one likes the news...the stories of the day are rather unpleasant.

It was Zen’s voice which roused her from her sleep, not talking to her, he was on the phone. Without knowing who it was, she was silent, sitting up as quietly as she could. 

 

“Alright...thank you for telling me. Keep me updated.” he sighed, hanging up. 

 

Noticing she was awake, he reached out to pet her hair lightly. “Sleep well?” 

 

Her face turned a deep pink, nodding slightly. It hadn’t taken her long to realize he still hadn’t dressed either, meaning he likely hadn’t been up long, probably. “I did. What about you?” 

 

He held up his phone for a moment, his shoulders drooping. “I would have liked to stay in bed with you a little longer, but I suppose it’s probably time to get up anyway. I’m going to go take a shower, why don’t you find something to watch on TV?” 

 

She nodded, deciding to put her clothes back on, thinking it would be better to change after washing anyway. He left her side, and when he was out of the room, she busied herself with her clothes, lost in her thoughts, almost in a fog as she walked to the living room. Nothing came to mind right off as far as what to watch, but she reached for the remote anyway, idly flipping through channels, watching for a few seconds before changing to the next one. A reporter’s voice stopped her, though she disliked watching news, the voice itself almost froze her on the spot. Setting the remote down, she brought her hand to rest under her chin, leaning forward curiously. Footsteps behind her made her jump, quickly turning back to see what it was, sighing in frustration when she saw it was only Zen returning from his shower. Had it already been that long? More importantly, it was only them here, why would she worry about it being someone else if no one else had come in?

 

“A man was found this morning outside of the hospital, in critical condition after a late night encounter with an unidentified man. Reports say he couldn’t recall much of the attacker, only that he asked the location of a woman, and when he denied knowledge, the man lashed out with a blunt weapon. Speaking with a doctor, we learned he is currently unconscious, and has multiple broken bones, among which include both legs, and several ribs. Despite this, he is expected to make a full recovery.” the reporter said. 

 

Turning back to the screen, they showed a picture of the man, and she tensed noticeably. 

 

“Hey, you look pale all of a sudden, are you okay?” he asked. 

 

“I know him...that’s the guy that came to the penthouse to take a picture of Jumin and I…” she mumbled. “You don’t think Jumin…” 

 

Her words trailed off, at a loss, unwilling to finish that thought, bringing about a string of worse considerations. 

 

“Jumin Han wouldn’t do his own dirty work. I doubt he did that. If there’s even a chance it could come back to him, there’s no way.” he grunted disinterestedly. 

 

Saying that, the topic slowly shifted, flashing camera lights distracting. She saw the familiar face, and quickly glanced away as if he might somehow notice her through the tv. They did say speaking of bad things made it more likely to happen, and perhaps they had said too much about him, Jumin’s annoyed expression relaxing after a moment, holding up the very picture they were just talking about. 

 

“Oh no…” she managed. 

 

“That jerk. He’s doing the same damn thing that happened with the furball. This isn’t good, everyone will be keeping an eye out for you now. I don’t...I’m not even sure what to do now. This means…” he said in disbelief. 

 

“I really can’t go anywhere...I can’t leave at all…” she finished his words, shaking her head. 

 

As though trying to lighten the incredibly tense mood back to a manageable point, he gestured to the screen, shrugging. “It’s a nice picture though. I never got to see you with long hair. Oh...but I still think you’re cuter now though.” 

 

She managed a small smile, pushing herself to stand. “Thank you. I’m not sure if you mean that, but thank you, it really makes me feel better.” Sighing, she swept a hand through her hair. “I can’t watch anymore. I...I’m going to go shower and change. I need time to think.” 

 

When she was out of view, Zen reached for his phone again, shaking his head while he waited for him to pick up. 

 

“Zen, what’s going on?” Seven asked. 

 

“I was about to ask you that. Did you see the news?” he questioned. 

 

“Unfortunately, I did. I was in the middle of trying to come up with something to help out, but aside from suggesting an appearance change and a new ID, I have nothing. Even that, I’m not sure it would even work. Jumin may be from a different world, but he’s not stupid enough to be fooled by a disguise…” he told him. “Maybe though...I need to think about this.” 

 

“What? Think about what? I need details. Cameras only go so far, you know. I need  _ something _ , she’s already getting nervous and I’m not sure what to do to keep her calm, if she doesn’t feel safe...I don’t want her to think she has to do something crazy…” he explained. 

 

“Crazy as in...you’re worried she’ll actually go back to him?” he asked. 

 

The sound of keys clacking almost doubled after that, and he had to wonder just how hard he was working. Seven was a master of multitasking, so it was possible he was working on more than one thing, or maybe he was trying to work faster so he had more time to devote to other things, who could say with him? 

 

“A little, yeah. I get the feeling that if she were to go back, we’d never hear from her again. I think he’d really do something strange to make sure she couldn’t leave a second time…” he admitted uneasily. 

 

The sounds stopped for a few seconds, like he had said something that troubled even him. When it picked back up, he had a suggestion for him. “Keep her busy for just a few days, and then I’ll drop by again. I think I can make this work, I just need a little bit to make sure it’ll work out.” 

 

“What will? You’re being weird again, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” he huffed. 

 

“Do it. Whatever you need to do to convince her to stay just a few more days. I need to go, bye.” he said, hanging up after. 

 

He had no idea what he meant by that, but he wasn’t planning to lock her up, if that was the idea. If anything, he’d feel a lot better about asking her straight out to stay with him, instead of trying to push for her to stay against her wishes. Still though, he had a feeling Jumin had some connection to the man in the hospital, even if he wasn’t the one who did it. That and going so far to find her, making it so even just stepping outside was a problem, shouldn’t that be enough to convince her he was too dangerous to return to?

 

“I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to do anything special. Honestly...I’m scared.” he heard. 

 

Turning back, she stood there with her head down, focused entirely on her hands, like they were suddenly the most interesting things she had ever seen. 

 

“You heard?” he asked. 

 

“Only a little. I didn’t mean to. I wondered that myself though. What Jumin would do if I did go back...I like to believe he wouldn’t hurt me too much, considering what he...what he was trying to do, but...maybe I don’t know him at all.” she murmured. 

 

Her eyes looked too sad, that was the excuse he gave himself. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her to him, petting her hair slowly, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Hey, don’t look so sad, we’ll find a way through this…” 

 

Maybe it was worth it to bring it up after all. It was a possible way out, even if she felt guilty about it. “I meant to discuss that with Seven, Jumin told me once he won’t go after another man’s girl...while I was thinking about that there, I thought maybe Seven could help find someone for that, and maybe he’d just...give up. The big problem is that with everyone looking for me, I can’t leave to do that…” 

 

She meant to get married to someone else? She didn’t even bring it up to him before, but he couldn’t decide if that meant she didn’t love him enough, didn’t trust him, or maybe it was more that she didn’t want to marry him? Either way, it caused a pain in his chest that he hadn’t ever felt before. He planted a kiss on the top of her head, sighing lightly. 

 

“He mentioned something that might help so you won’t stand out so much. If it works...wouldn’t you rather marry someone who actually loves you and cares about you?...someone...I don’t know, like me?” he asked

 

She cringed slightly, saying nothing at first. “I would like that, but I can’t ask that of you. I’m imposing enough like this, and you have your career to think about. If your fans found out you got married, wouldn’t that just be bad for you? … that and I’m not quite sure my parents would ever believe it was legitimate if I said I wanted to marry you…” 

 

Realization washed over him. It wasn’t just that she was concerned about him, or that she didn’t love him, it was...it made sense, Jumin kept her to himself, and he probably had never once thought to ask about her. “You’re not 19 yet, are you?” 

 

She shook her head slowly, glancing up. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. Jumin didn’t ask either, so he didn’t know, I guess. Yes, no matter who I settled for, I’d still need to ask.” 

 

“You say you’re worried about my career, but what if I say I don’t mind? Real fans stick by you no matter what, so I don’t think it will matter as much as you think. If the concern is your parents not believing you, then let me ask them, I...I get this might be uncomfortable for you, moving so quickly, but at the very least, we’re talking about it, right? I’m not going to force you into it. I care what you think.” he explained nervously. 

 

This was what she had been most concerned about, he wasn’t considering himself enough in the matter, and if his dream died for her, she’d never forgive herself for it. Yet, she got the feeling she wouldn’t really be able to convince him to give up on her for his own sake, hesitantly agreeing. “If it’s what you think is best, then...I’ll give you the number later...I won’t fight with you, but please know that I wish you’d think of yourself first…”

 

Well, if this was going to happen, at least it might be possible to see which of Jumin’s words were the bigger lie, that he wouldn’t let her go, no matter what she did, or if he would really not pursue another man’s girl. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wouldn’t give up so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As best as I could find, the marriage age in Korea is 19, but 18 with parental consent. I chose to make her 18 for the plot twist, so she needs her parent's permission regardless.


	13. Jaehee Reflects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With extra work, Jaehee quietly reflects on the events that occurred.

Jaehee stared at the pile of information in front of her, then to the stack of documents she had to do normally. Exhaling slowly, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t asked that day. If she had not been so insistent that she go to see Jumin, to try and convince him to return to work, everything would have been different. As much as she hated to admit it, Zen was right, if not for her, she would have been at the party. Even if it wasn’t Zen,  _ someone _ could have dissuaded her from going to see him. She had worked for Jumin for nearing three years now, and while she had never seen him dating a woman, she knew he had potential to be too obsessive. It had never occurred to her that sending her over could turn out poorly. 

 

This was worse though, this made her feel sick to her stomach. She knew very well where she was at, and it would have been easier on her to simply tell Jumin everything. That wasn’t something she could do, not knowing even a little of what he put her through, and knowing he wouldn’t refrain from punishing anyone involved, including her. It put her in the singularly difficult position of using his leads and all the information he had collected to hopefully track her down. Coming up with a way to further mislead him was a true challenge. There was a blown up photo on the top of the papers, the one that Seven had shown him at the house. 

 

She narrowed her eyes, leaning closer to examine it more carefully. It had escaped her notice at the time, more focused on making sure Jumin hadn’t noticed the closet door shifting slightly, and that she didn’t burst out and turn herself over. Now that she had a good look, this wasn’t her at all. He must have been more upset than he let on, at least to her, it was apparent it was just another photo of Luciel crossdressing. Very convincing though, somehow, he had managed to capture her exact appearance almost perfectly, the closeness of the shot hiding his flat chest creatively. It was no wonder Mr. Han had been fooled by it, even with his great attention to detail. Jaehee wanted to call over and see how she was holding up, if there was anything she could do, or something the poor girl needed, and yet she didn’t want to bring attention to Zen too much. He almost caught on last time as it was, too much more and he wouldn’t be fooled again. 

 

There was a knock on the door, and she called for whoever it was to enter, regretting it instantly. Mr. Han stood in the doorway, faint dark circles under his eyes, his suit very slightly wrinkled. He looked as though he hadn’t even gone home to rest the night before. It was a shame he was suffering, but she had to keep telling herself it was his own fault. 

 

“Assistant Kang, have you made any progress in locating my fiancee?” he questioned sternly. 

 

“Not yet, Mr. Han. There have been some incoming calls to this number with possible sightings, but the guards you asked me to put on this have not spotted her at any of the locations. I double checked the media outlets, and I am confused as to why they’d call my number at all instead of yours.” she reported. 

 

“I made sure to include your number as well. She’ll be found faster this way, I’m sure of it.” he sighed. “Has anyone from the messenger called? Surely there must be some news. A Hacker, an actor and a university student would cast a wide net, it’s odd if they haven’t heard something yet.” he asked. 

 

“Not yet, Mr. Han. If you’d like, I could take my lunch break now and call them for you.” she offered. 

 

Not because she honestly wanted an update, but because she hadn’t managed to have breakfast that morning, and it would give her a chance to safely check in on the situation. Quite efficient indeed. 

 

“Fine. I expect a report the minute you return, understood?” he barked. 

 

“Of course. I’ll leave first then.  Considering it may be difficult to reach them, is it alright if I have extra time for lunch?” she asked hopefully. 

 

“Yes, if you must. I’ll be in my office. Text me the relevant information, I’m getting a headache listening to you.” he sighed, kneading his temples slowly. 

 

She waited until he left to head out. With extra time, she could actually get something substantial. Quickening her steps when she left the building, she dialed Luciel first, waiting patiently until he picked up. 

 

“Assistant Kang, have you found out anything?” he asked, imitating Jumin. 

 

“Please don’t do that. I’ve had a stressful day. For the sake of getting some reprieve, is there any news?” she sighed. 

 

“Just tell him that I’m sweeping the whole world so I don’t miss anything. Picked up a trail outside of a shack near the ocean, be vague about it, it’ll give me time to find a suitable location until he calls. I’m looking through options to help out in the meantime…” he explained. 

 

The sound of his fingers jamming keys grew louder with every word he spoke, and Jaehee knew that was the best she could hope for with him. “Okay...thank you.” 

 

He hung up first, just as she arrived at a nice cafe, placing an order and paying ahead, choosing the most private seat she could find. Trying Zen’s number then, it was a matter of waiting, eventually getting his voicemail. Strange, he had been very adamant that he wasn’t planning on leaving her alone, and with her picture all over the tv and the internet, there was no way it was safe enough to leave his house just yet. She didn’t want to be a bother, but it was important to check in when the chance presented itself. She tried again, tapping her fingers on the table until she got the voicemail again. Her coffee and lunch arrived shortly after, few enough customers in at the time to make the wait long. She took a sip, pausing to savor the warm, slightly bitter blend before taking a bite of her sandwich. Even the soup was wonderful, everything would be perfect if Zen would just answer his phone. Mr. Han would be upset if she didn’t manage everything he expected before she got back. 

 

Her phone rang before she could get too involved in her meal, glancing at the ID before answering it. 

 

“Jaehee, you called?” Zen asked pleasantly. 

He sounded much more cheerful than the last time she had the chance to talk with him. That was good, at least the situation wasn’t too hard on him, at least for the moment. 

 

“Yes, I wanted to see how things were going. Is everything okay?” she questioned, her voice quiet so she wouldn’t be overheard. 

 

“Yeah, we just got out of the shower, I was about to make lunch. I meant to ask if there was anyway you could pick up some things at a salon? I can pay you back when you get here if you can. If it’s easier, I’ll text you a list later.” he said conversationally. 

 

That hadn’t taken long. Zen was a charming man, and she was a vulnerable girl, and while she had really expected her to still be too troubled by worries to be able to deal with anything at all still, it seemed things had progressed rather quickly between them. All things considered, that was fine for now, since Zen had insisted on watching over her, it wasn’t like he was planning to go anywhere, the odds were very small that he’d get into a media situation. If he had to do something like that, now was a good time, though it would have been a lie to say she wasn’t at least a little disappointed by the development. 

 

“Sure. Wait to send it until after my work is done for the day. I don’t want Mr. Han to ask too many questions again. He’s having me call around for updates to see if anyone has found anything worth mentioning.” she mumbled. 

 

“Tell that jerk to go to hell... is what I’d like to say...Just tell him I don’t know anything, no one I know has seen her.” he said, almost a bit unsure sounding. 

 

What she wanted to know was why, even after this long, she was even remotely suspicious. The girl had been very kind and supportive to her, and went without questioning it too much to help retrieve her boss when he wasn’t himself. There really was no reason not to trust her anymore, they had even met now, and she was the same as she had been in the chat rooms. All of her reasons had worn away, and because of her, she had been hurt in unspeakable ways. She should have been happy that she was safe, and at least a little happier than she was at the penthouse. There was just something about the huge knot in her stomach that made her uneasy. If she had to hazard a guess, she was feeling guilty about the entire situation, though that couldn’t have been all of it. 

 

“I’ll pass on the message...thank you.” she murmured distractedly. “I think Yoosung might be at school today, so I’ll have to wait to get ahold of him. Or I could just pretend I called him and say he had nothing either. Anyway, take care of her, alright? I’m going to leave before my lunch gets cold.” 

 

“Sure, see you.” he said, hanging up. 

 

Setting her phone down, she gave her meal her full attention, trying to organize the text she would send Jumin after she finished. It might be enough to get him to stop adding to her workload for a little while, though he’d be pretty upset when the only new information proved to be another dead end after all. How long would it take for him to simply give up and go back to the rational, emotionless boss he used to be? She’d gladly settle for more of his cat projects and indifference if it meant he’d let this one thing go. It was worrisome how far his delusions had progressed...


	14. Hidden Things

“Is it supposed to burn like this?” she asked quietly, wincing as she did. 

 

“It does a little, maybe you just have a sensitive scalp? It’s almost time to wash it out…” Yoosung mumbled. 

 

Zen walked back into the room, staring at his phone as he walked. “Seven has all the technical stuff worked out, it’s going to take a few days to get it all processed. Your parents said to tell you that you’re in their thoughts.” 

 

Yoosung looked up, surprised. “Wait, you talked to her parents?” 

 

Zen looked to her for some kind of sign as to whether he should tell him or not, to which she shrugged. “Jumin overlooked the fact that she’s only 18. He didn’t even ask. All that talk of marriage, and he never thought to ask her parents.” 

 

He leaned around to look at her face, then to Zen, then back. “Really? I thought you were at least as old as I am. So did you graduate yet, or are you still in high school?” 

 

She raised her hand towards her head, but he gently pressed it back down, shaking his head with a sympathetic look. He must have known it itched. “I graduated early. I just haven’t decided what I want to do yet.” 

 

Yoosung checked the time on his phone, leading her towards the bathroom, Zen following behind. He bit his lip, gesturing to the bath. “Ugh, this sounds so awkward. If you don’t mind...could you...uhm...get on your knees?” 

 

Nodding, she knelt down in front of the bath, waiting for him to adjust the water temperature before he sprayed it directly on her head. He really was quite caring, very much the doting brother type, a thought that almost made her sad that he wasn’t actually her brother. Switching his conversation to Zen while he rinsed her hair, he tried to keep his attention on her as he spoke.

 

“She has the uniform, what if Seven tries to put her in university too?” he asked. 

 

“I’m reasonably sure he’d ask first...but I guess if she’s okay with it, maybe it wouldn’t hurt. Except that’s awfully public, Jumin might be able to track her there. You could probably keep an eye on her, but still, I don’t know what you could do if he charged in there with a bunch of guards or something.” he sighed.

 

He reached across the bath for the shampoo, lathering her hair. Zen gave him a strange look, to which he quickly defended himself. “I’m used to doing this for myself, it’s nothing weird, it’ll do more damage if it’s not done right…” he checked on her again. “Let me know if it’s hard to breath, okay? I can’t see where the water is going…” 

 

She raised a hand, gesturing that she was doing alright still. Once he rinsed out her hair again, he grabbed the conditioner, repeating the process, but this time, letting it sit for a little bit before he rinsed it out, holding out a hand for the towel, shutting the water off. She lifted her head, grabbing the towel from him, wrapping it around her head to dry. Taking a deep breath, she bobbed her head slightly, careful not to unravel it again. 

 

“Thank you for your help. Did it look alright?” she murmured. 

 

“Yeah! It came out great. It’ll probably be weird at first though, but you’ll get used to it.” he said. 

 

There was a sound outside, a car pulling up. Zen quickly glanced out the window, frowning. He seemed conflicted, finally saying something when he organized his thoughts.

 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Yoosung, take her to my room and don’t come out until I knock. Like this.” he paused, demonstrating it. “Jumin is here, hurry.” 

 

Yoosung stared at the door for a moment, grabbing her hand and rushing towards his room, closing the door as quietly as he could, eyeing his closet nervously. “If it sounds like someone’s coming this way, we can hide in there.” 

 

She put her hand to her forehead, hanging her head. “I wish he would just give up already...I can’t live in hiding forever…” 

 

He put his ear to the door gently, trying to hear what was going on, though the sound was too distorted to make out anything specific. Out of concern, he lightly pulled her towards the closet, taking a seat on the floor, dragging the door shut behind them. 

 

“Was someone coming?” she whispered. 

 

“I can’t tell, it sounded like someone might be heading this way, but I can’t tell if it’s Zen or Jumin…” he said. 

 

“Well, I guess it’s a plus, he’s a busy man, what are the odds he’ll stay very long?” she asked quietly. 

 

Apparently, the answer wasn’t as slim as she imagined. It was a long time before the knock came, long enough for her to doze off, Yoosung’s head resting on the wall of the closet, his eyes too heavy to keep open. When no one answered, Zen opened the door, looking around for them, checking everywhere else before it occurred to check the closet. He bent down, shaking them both awake. 

 

“He’s gone, now that he’s both bored me to death and talked my brain numb…” he complained. “I didn’t realize he took the day off again. I think he was a little suspicious, but I threw him off the trail finally.” 

 

She wobbled slightly as she stood, her legs going numb from sitting so long. Zen helped her to the edge of the bed, patting her now-dry head with a smile. “Get some rest if you need it.”

 

Yoosung followed suit, dusting himself off. “Do you want me to cook before I go home, or will you be alright?” 

 

Normally, he would have refused, but he imagined she was stressed by Jumin’s sudden arrival, and felt better about staying next to her until she fell asleep than leaving her alone. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll stay here, just let me know when it’s done.” 

 

Yoosung disappeared from the room, closing the door behind him. Zen stretched out on the bed, pulling her down gently, holding her loosely. 

 

“Was it stressful for you?” he asked. 

 

“A little, I didn’t think he’d come back…” she admitted. 

 

“I promise you, I’m not going to let him have you...” he murmured against her shoulder. 


End file.
